
Class 3 F4i' 

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Poultry Pointers 



PUBLISHED BY 



Pratt Food Company 

MANUFACTURERS OP THE 

Famous Pratts Animal and Poultry 
Regulators 

and Veterinary Remedies 



Copyright 1911 

BY 

Pratt Food Company 



PHILADELPHIA, PA., U. S. A. 
TORONTO, CANADA 



CHICAGO, ILL. LONDON, ENGLAND 

5AN FRANCISCO, CAL, DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND 




Join 

Pratts Correspondence School of 
Poultry- Keeping 



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tures are complete, concise and easily understood. No dry, unin- 
teresting information, but thorough, practical and snappy instruc- 
tion, which goes right to the point in a few words. 

Just Think of this Offer I 

We mail a full, complete lecture every week for three months 
prepared by the highest and most learned authorities on poultry, and 
written in an interesting way. No college education is necessary to 
grasp the meaning, which is the case in so many schools of this 
kind. We offer this Correspondence Course to the users of our 
Regulators and Veterinary Remedies for the nominal charge of 

$2.00 for Full Course 

and a coupon, which we place in every package of our goods. 

This low price does not pay us for preparing the lectures. 

For full information write Pratt Food Co., Philadelphia, Pa., 
or Toronto, Canada. 



DCLA283570 



t* 



PART I. 

o 



POULTRY KEEPING 



CHAPTER I. 

GENERAL HINTS. 

OUR OBJECT 

Having had* years of experience with poultry, we 
find that we can help poultry people to profit and save 
many of the cares due to either inattention or lack of 
knowledge on the subject, and while yielding due praise 
to the authors of poultry books generally, and not desir- 
ing to criticise their excellent work, we hope to be par- 
doned one remark: we find by experience that what is 
greatly needed among those who keep or intend to keep 
poultry, is a plain, practical book of ready reference, 
where the information wanted can be found at once, 
without wading through page after page of unnecessary 
matter. It is our purpose, therefore, to do our part in 
ministering to the wants of poultry keepers by placing 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



in their hands a working manual of practical information, 
the use of which will add to the ease and profit of their 
occupation. 



WHY KEEP POUIrTRY 

In the days of our forefathers, the Shanghae, or 
Cochin China fowl was the acknowledged fancy breed, 
but today we have breeds of all description and charac- 
ter. Some fabulous prices have been paid in the United 
States for choice specimens of different breeds. Some 
of the great figures paid are the sales of Rose Comb 
Black Minorcas by George H. Northup, of Raceville, 
New York, he getting $1,000 for one cock; $500 for 
another; and $200 for a third. He also realized $200 
for a single hen, and sold fifteen other hens at $100 each. 
This makes a total of $3,400 for nineteen fowls. 

Then we have Kellerstrass, the famous "Peggy" 
man. Peggy is a White Orpington, upon which Keller- 
strass has placed a value of $10,000. This, because he 
has posted that amount for another hen of the same breed 
that will equal her in points. Kellerstrass sold Madame 
Paderewski a pen of five White Orpingtons for $7,500, 
an average of $1,500 per fowl. 

More big sales could be named, but the above in- 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. * 

stances are probably the highest figures ever paid in this 
or any foreign country. 

But cases of exorbitant prices are exceptions, and 
breeding stock is as a rule sold at prices ranging from 
$2.00 to $50.00 per head. Poultry breeding has now 
settled upon a sound basis, and is becoming more popu- 
lar and profitable every year. Why you should keep 
poultry is shown by the millions of dozens of eggs that 
are imported yearly and the high prices obtained for the 
eggs. There is no reason why we should not produce 
eggs sufficient for our own use, and thus save the 
immense sums we send away to other countries. Hun- 
dreds of farmers, who have ample means to provide for 
a large flock of poultry, would be surprised to find how 
large a profit could, with a little care, be realized from 
keeping them. Of course the farmer will understand 
that it will cost him some time and trouble as well, for 
he must study the laws of nature with reference to fowls 
and their wants; but we say confidently that with the 
same amount of attention, poultry will actually pay him 
a larger profit than any other feature on his farm. But 
it is not the farmer only: there are thousands of others, 
living in locations where they have a little extra space, 
who could start with a dozen, or even half a dozen fowls, 
and would soon find the diversion not only interesting 



8 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



but profitable. Every housekeeper knows the difference 
between fresh eggs and stale ones, so far as the pleasure 
of eating them goes; but perhaps she does not know 
that fresh eggs are far more nutritious than stale ones. 
This appears in hatching, as chicks from fresh eggs are 
much stronger and hardier than those from stale ones. 
Sick folks must have fresh eggs or none. How important 
then becomes the keeping of poultry, which requires 
only common sense and good care to be made a perfect 
success. Location of houses, choice of ground, condition 
of food and drinking water, are of course all important, 
and will be referred to in due course. 




SPACE AND OUTLAY 

A small but complete poultry house can be built in a 
space eight feet by twelve, and will allow ample room 
for run of half a dozen fowls. We mention this merely 
to show that a little family of fowls could be easily and 
conveniently accommodated by many who now allow the 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. * 

necessary space to go to waste, and who buy eggs of 
uncertain condition and chickens of doubtful age, instead 
of supplying their tables with fresh eggs and tender 
poultry from their own yards. The outlay for the hous- 
ing of a few fowls is almost nothing — merely a small 
amount of timber, and time enough to put it together. 
We need not dwell on the advantages possessed by a 
farmer in regard to the keeping of poultry — for no one 
knows better than the farmer himself what an opportu- 
nity it gives him to utilize material and space that would 
otherwise be actually thrown away. It requires little 
thought, and less calculation, for him to realize that at a 
trifling expense he can start a safe venture, which will 
bring him in many a welcome dollar, and pay for itself 
many times over. We should advise a beginner to start 
with a few fowls, and add to them as he becomes more 
experienced. The expenditure of time and the exercise 
of patience demanded by any new enterprise will, of 
course, be required. 



LOCATION 

The first consideration should be location. Select 
or prepare a dry surface, not clay, and build the house 
with its floor a foot or more from the ground, to allow 



10 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



plenty of free air space underneath. The situation 
should be light, airy and cheerful, avoiding doors, win- 
dows or openings of any sort to the north, northeast or 
northwest. This is a most important feature. Winds 
from the directions named chill the fowls, and their 
nourishment is used up in keeping them warm, especially 
in the time of cold storms. A southern exposure is, of 
course, the best one. If practicable, let the northerly 
walls be of brick ; but in any case, let them be wind-proof. 
If openings are made in the back or side walls, for venti- 
lation during the hot weather, they should be so con- 
structed as to close tightly, to keep out drafts when shut. 
On the farm, a location near the cowhouse or stable, or 
against the fireplace of the dwelling, is the best, other 
things being equal, on account of the warmth thus 
gained. In building the house there is much to be con- 
sidered in the way of practical common sense. Nothing 
complicated or scientific is required; simply a healthy 
location, that should be dry and well protected from 
drafts in cold weather. Proper ventilation and cleanli- 
ness are also essential to the welfare of the fowls. There- 
fore the most elaborate houses are not always the most 
successful. Improper housing is the most frequent cause 
of disease and of unprofitable poultry keeping. In a 
cold, damp atmosphere the fowls will neither thrive nor 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



11 



lay. The results of care in constructing the house are 
seen in fall and winter. If the house is drafty, the fowls 
will use up the food they have eaten to keep themselves 
warm through the cold nights — a thing which a well-built 
house will prevent. 

We have found that from fifteen to twenty-five 
birds are all that will thrive in one house ; so that where 
more are kept, they should have separate houses and runs. 
Thick roosts, low down, should always be adopted, as 
the thin roost, high up, wears out the strength of the 
fowl before morning in endeavoring to keep its balance. 
This too, uses up the food supply, which is exhausted 
in the effort of the bird to make itself comfortable, 
instead of acting as an egg-producer. 

If the house is built double (see cut, page 22 ), this 
will allow of two runs, so that the fowls can be penned 
in one run at a time, and then reversed to the other, thus 
allowing one side at a time to be purified. While one 
side is in use, the other can be sown with oats, and the 
change made when the oats are four or five inches high, 
making a fine scratching-ground for the birds. A fre- 
quent stirring up of the soil, so as to let the sun penetrate 
it thoroughly, will have more influence on the health of 
the fowls than might be supposed. The fouling of the 
run is one of the most frequently neglected features of 



i2 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

the poultry yard. When the house cannot be conven- 
iently built in the manner suggested, the yard should 
be often and generously strewn with gravel. This will 
make it easy to clear off and cart away the top soil, and 
again spread with gravel; whereas, if the birds are 
simply allowed to run on the hard earth, it soon becomes 
foul and unwholesome. Sheds for dust baths, and for 
protection from the direct rays of the sun, as well as 
from rain and cold winds, should be so constructed in 
convenient places, and the fowls should, during the day, 
if space allows, be entirely shut out from the house in 
which they roost at night. In the construction of sheds, 
all sides but the southerly should be enclosed, for reasons 
which are plain to everyone. 

In constructing the scratching-shed poultry house, 
where there is a continuation of two houses, the scratch- 
ing sheds should be on the outside of each pen instead 
of in the center, as shown in illustration on pages twenty- 
two and thirteen, for the reason that these sheds being on 
either the east or west side protect the roosting pens, 
thus rendering the latter more warm. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



13 





I 1 



CHAPTER II. 

THE HOUSE. 
HOW TO BUII,D 

Generally speaking, poultry houses are built of 
wood, and if they are double walled on the back and 
sides, and heavy lining paper placed between the walls, 
they will be warm enough for any climate. A few 
houses are built of brick, but there is no special benefit 
derived by using that material unless the interior is lathed 
and plastered, making in all an expensive building. Some 
attention now is given to cement construction, which 
no doubt can be built for about the price of lumber. 
The point, however, is to avoid dampness. 

The house should be built of such proportions as 
to comfortably quarter the desired number of birds. 
Having it larger than necessary is nearly as bad as hav- 
ing it too small. For fifteen to twenty-five head of 
stock the pens should measure about ten by sixteen feet. 
This would allow ten by ten feet for the scratching shed, 
and six by ten feet for the roosting pen. The founda- 



14 PRATTS POULTRY POINTER? 

tion all around the building should be brick or cement — 
the latter is the cheapest and equally as effective as the 
former. The building itself should be constructed of 
tongued and grooved lumber, so that there will not be a 
possibility of cracks which cause drafts. The door should 
be not less than two and a half feet wide, and a window 
be placed in each roosting pen. The front of the 
scratching shed should be covered with one-inch wire 
netting, and during winter a muslin curtain, fastened 
on a frame hinged to the roof, should be dropped down 
over the wire to protect the fowls during stormy weather, 
and a small door or opening for the fowls to go to and 
from the outside runs. This door or opening should be 
closed each night to keep out rats, minks, weasels or 
other enemies. Shingled roofs are probably the most 
permanent, but in case of using shingles the ceiling of 
the house should be ceiled with tongue and grooved 
boards, or during the winter, especially when snow is 
lying on the roof, the animal heat from the fowls will 
cause frost and dampness to collect. There are a number 
of excellent roofing papers now on the market, a two-ply 
thickness of which will make an excellent roof almost if 
not quite as durable as shingles. Paper roofs must be 
laid on an even surface, and never upon shingling lath, 
and should be painted every few years. A paper roof 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



15 



will not need the pitch required for a roof that is 
shingled. On some of the large poultry farms, one-half 
the window sash is composed of glass, and the other 
half muslin. The latter allows plenty of fresh air with- 
out drafts. 




SINGLE SECTION BROODER HOUSE WITH SCRATCHING 
SHED AND YARD. 



THE FI.OOR 

On a well known, successful poultry farm the floors 
are merely the dry earth, which is filled up on the inside 
of the house a foot above the level of the outside ground. 
This floor is then heavily covered with straw or leaves 
to induce scratching. Hens love to wallow in the earth 
during the winter. The top soil should be cleaned off 
every spring and fall. Some poultrymen have board 
floors, others cement, but the majority prefer the dry 
earth floor, as stated. 



16 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



KEEPING OUT RATS 

A thick layer of rough stones, covered with broken 
glass under the foundation and floor, is the best defence 
against rats, which must be kept out, or they will destroy 
chickens by wholesale. Some add a wire netting outside 
the house, but this will rust and must be renewed at 
intervals. It will pay also to keep rat traps about, which 
should be kept clean by frequent scalding. It is a good 
plan to have a number of traps of different .forms, and 
use them in rotation, as these pests are very sly and 
soon learn to keep away from a trap after they find out 
how it works. If the floor is raised above the ground, 
as noticed before, you will have little trouble with rats. 
The moment a rat hole is discovered in the ground 
around a building, a spade should be run into it and fol- 
lowed up to the hiding places. Nothing so much scares 
rats as the knowledge that they are being pursued. 



HEATING AND VENTILATION 

While a warm house is essential to good results, it 
must at the same time be well ventilated. How to ac- 
complish both is an important consideration. Everyone 
knows that hens lay less in winter than in summer, for 
the reason that their natural heat is consumed rapidly 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



17 



in cold weather, and there is little left to go into eggs 
or flesh. Some think to counteract this by artificial 
means, but the fowls must be let out in order to keep 
them in good health, and the change from an overheated 
house to the outdoor cold is apt to cause disease. Again, 
the burning of oil or gas cannot fail to vitiate the air, 
while steam or hot-water pipes avoid this to some extent, 
it is difficult to keep an even temperature. The best plan 
is the one already suggested; of having the house derive 
its heat from an adjoining building, such as a cow-house, 
stable or dwelling. If a stove is used at all, it should be 
where a large number of fowls are kept, and would 
then be best placed in a middle room, with which the 
other compartments communicate. If the location and 
exposure are well chosen, as above suggested, the sun 
will in most cases give all the additional heat necessary. 
Good ventilation can be secured by making a roof 
chamber in the peak, loosely floored, and with traps or 
slats, or simply bored holes, at the sides. 




PLAN FOR VENTILATING. 



18 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



This will give sufficient draft to carry off the bad 
air, and in extremely cold weather the outlets can be 
stopped to any extent desired. There should be no 
attempt to ventilate from the floor of the house itself, 
except through the cracks under the door and around 
the entrance trap; otherwise the house will be robbed 
of its heat, and the fowls will be inevitably chilled. 




CHAPTER III. 

FITTINGS, INSIDE AND OUTSIDE. 

ROOSTS 

Remember what has been said about having the 
roosts thick and not too far from the ground. They 
should also be readily removable, so that they can be 
frequently taken outside and cleaned and sprayed with 
Pratts Liquid Lice Killer every two weeks. Round or 
oval-shaped bars, say three inches through, sawn length- 
wise, make the best perches. If made flat, the edges 
must be rounded. Bent iron or wooden U-shaped sockets 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



19 



should be fastened to the sides of the house to rest the 
perches on. Beneath the roosts it is well to have a plat- 
form, which will catch the droppings, and prevent the 
floor from becoming filthy. This should be removed 
and cleaned daily. Roosts can also be made of two by 
three-inch scantling, planed, the two-inch side resting on 
cross pieces. The fowls roosting on the two-inch side 
have plenty of space to spread their feet, and besides 
the scantling will support more weight than when the 
three-inch side is used. 



NESTS 
Three important points are to be kept in mind in 
providing nests. They must be sufficient in number, 
roomy, and readily cleaned. Have not less than four 
nests for every dozen hens, at least a foot square, and up 
to sixteen inches for large breeds. Let them be strong, 
but as simple in construction as possible, without per- 
manent floors or corners for the dirt or vermin to collect. 
Handy nests can be made by building a low rack, and 
laying on it a row of nail kegs, facing the open ends to 
the wall. In the bottom cut a small hole for the purpose 
of gathering the eggs. To prevent egg eating, nests 
should not be low enough for fowls to reach them from 
floor; nor should they be so high as to make them hard 



20 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



to get into. Many poultry men now use trap nests, to 
tell which hens are laying ; the non-paying hens can then 
be separated, and killed for market. In some poultry 
houses nests are placed under roosting platform. There 
is, however, the objection that the hens are apt to 
scratch litter in them, and it gives rats and mice a 
chance to make hiding places underneath and back of 
them. 







H 






slHjBSbjII 







BOX NESTS. 



KEG NESTS. 



Never nail boxes on the side of buildings for nests 
so that the hens must fly up to them. Nests should be 
movable, so they can several times a year be taken out- 
doors and cleaned. 



THE RUN 

Give the fowls all the range you can spare. The 
less room you have the more particular you must be 
about cleanliness, although this is important under all 
circumstances. With a light, dry top soil, or even sifted 
ashes, constantly raked over and often renewed, fowls 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 21 

can be kept healthy even in a covered run, so that those 
who have but little space can make up in attention what 
they lack in facilities. A grass run of half an acre will 
do for fifty light breed fowls, but would be hardly enough 
for the heavy breeds. Where more than this number 
are kept, and there are several houses, a gravel run for 
each house, and a large field of grass where the birds 
can go by turns, economizes the space. Fencing, when 
required, is easily made of wire netting, which is cheap 
and durable, especially when galvanized. The lighter the 
breed, the higher the fence, is a simple rule; running 
from a yard high for Cochins or Brahmas to eight feet 
for Game or Bantams. Hamburgs will mount almost 
any height of fence, and would be better clipped. This 
can best be done by opening one wing and cutting the 
first, or flight feathers, of which there are ten as a rule. 
This will prevent flying, and is not unsightly, as when 
the outer wings are mutilated. 

Where fowls have a whole farm to range in, there 
ought to be no trouble in keeping them healthy. Where 
the run is limited, but still large enough to allow it, the 
planting of fruit trees, or even of gooseberry or rapsberry 
bushes, will afford an additional protection from the 
wind, besides inducing a supply of insects such as the 
birds enjoy for food. 



22 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



We have already mentioned a house with a double 
run as being desirable where there is not room enough 
for a very large run. We show here a cut of such a 
house. It will be seen that the accommodations are 
complete, no matter which of the runs is in use, the 
other being shut off simply by closing the approaches to 
it from the house. By building both runs on the same 
side of the house, the cost of one fence is saved. 







-. j£k^" 






f ?fl / r} ^' l 'AUA$rf& \ v([KSwO^^^^L-r 






\wt^' 








l'^ 













TWO-SECTION HOUSE WITH SCRATCHING SHEDS AND YARDS. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 23 




CHAPTER IV. 



SELECTING STOCK. 



EGG STOCK 



Selecting stock is a matter of great importance, 
and depends upon the plan you have in view. If your 
principle object is to supply eggs, and your place is too 
small to raise chickens, you begin by getting in the spring 
as many hens as your house will carry comfortably. 
They should be no older than a year. It is not worth 
while to buy a cock. The hens will lay almost as well 
without him, and you save in food and space. If you 
have bought good, healthy hens, they will begin laying 
at once, and keep at it until fall, if they are rightly fed 
and properly housed. The best plan is to buy breeds 
that do not sit; but if a hen insists upon sitting she can 
be cured by keeping her a few days in a coop on hard 



24 PR ATTS POULTRY POINTERS, 

ground, with water, but little food, sheltered of course 
from the driect sun in the hot weather. It is true that 
a Cochin cannot be brought to her senses in this way; 
but it is better to do without Cochins when eggs are the 
only object. Other breeds, treated as well, will usually 
lay again in a fortnight. 

Buy only young birds, and healthy ones. It is only 
by practice that one learns to detect age in a fowl, but 
there are some signs that may be relied on in a general 
way. A young hen is usually trim and graceful, her legs 
are smooth and delicate, her comb and wattles soft and 
fresh looking. When she grows older she takes on 
flesh, her legs look hard and horny, and her comb and 
wattles dry and tough. The shrewdest of beginners may 
be deceived in spite of every care; he must learn by 
experience. 

When the hens stop laying in the fall, do not let 
them get out of condition, but kill or sell them, and buy 
pullets hatched in the spring. These will have moulted 
already, and will begin laying in October or November, 
and produce eggs pretty regularly until the winter is 
over. They can then be killed or disposed of and re- 
placed ; or the best of them may be kept until fall, when 
none but extra good layers will be worth keeping over 
another winter. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 25 

CHICK STOCK 

If chicken raising is to be gone into as well as the 
producing of eggs, there must, in the first place, be 
plenty of room. It is a mistake to try to raise chickens 
in small quarters, where profit is the object. Of course, 
if it is a mere matter of diversion, it can be done even 
in a limited space. 

With room enough, then Plymouth Rocks, Wyan- 
dottes, Rhode Island Reds, Brahmas or Langshans will 
be best chosen for the purpose of raising chickens. 
They are all good layers, without being too much bent 
on sitting, like Cochins. The last may be kept to serve 
as brood hens, but they are not to be set on their own 
eggs, if the chickens are for market. It is a fact, though, 
that a Cochin hen, crossed with a Dorking, Crevecoeur 
or Houdan cock, will produce a large and fairly good 
table fowl; nor are young Cochins, killed under nine 
months, at all to be despised on the home table. 

Probably the finest and hardiest of table fowls is 
the Houdan. They do best on the farm, where they have 
ample range. They lay well and grow quickly, and 
their flesh is as fine as that of the Dorking, which has 
to be so carefully reared that it is hardly to be recom- 
mended, although its flesh is acknowledged to be equal 
to almost anything else that can be put on the table. 



26 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

Let it be remembered that, no matter what breed is 
chosen, spring birds must replace, or at least be added 
to, the stock every fall. This is the only way to have 
eggs in the winter. 




SKELETON OF CHICKEN. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



27 




. >*»..... •.:. '■*. /. "" 








CHAPTER V. 



FEEDING AND MANAGEMEN 



FI/&SH OR EGGS 

This chapter will treat only of the feeding and 
management of adult fowls. Chicks will be given a 
separate chapter. Feeding has two objects: One is to 
produce flesh; the other, to produce eggs. If the fowls 
are intended for the market, the quantity and quality of 
the flesh is of great importance. If they are wanted 
for laying only, too much flesh is a fault — for fat hens 
will not lay, and a laying hen should never be so fat as 
to prevent her gizzard from being felt. A fat male 
bird, too, is lazy and unhealthy. On the other hand, it 
will not do to starve the fowls. They must have enough, 
or they will be good for nothing. In this, as in all other 
matters, the middle course is the safe one — neither stint 
nor overfeed. 



28 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



HOW TO FEED 

It is a good rule to give the fowls as much as they 
will scramble for, and then stop. If they are not eager 
for more, they do not need more, and the surplus is 
worse than wasted. Two meals a day are enough where 
there is a run sufficiently large to allow the birds to 
forage for themselves. One of these should be given 
early in the morning, and the other just before roosting 
time in the evening. In winter, or where the run is 
limited, they ought to have three meals, but the midday 
meal should be a light one. The first feeding ought to 
be of soft food, so as to get promptly into the system, 
and not merely lodge in the crop, for the birds have had 
a long fast since supper. But in the evening grain is 
best, for it has all night to digest, and is more staying, 
which is especially important in the cold season. 

All grain food should be scattered among litter, 
such as hay, straw or leaves, so that the fowls will be 
compelled to scratch for what they get. This gives ex- 
ercise, keeps the blood in good condition, warms the body, 
and greatly assists in digesting the food. Just how much 
to feed a fowl daily is hard to determine, but ordinarily 
an iron spoonful (equal to half a handful) of mash in 
the morning is sufficient for every two fowls in the pen, 
and a full handful of grain at night, scattered among 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 29 

litter, for each fowl in the pen. Where a noon meal is 
given, a half -handful of grain scattered among litter for 
every fowl is sufficient. 

Of late years considerable attention has been called 
to dry feeding — that is, placing the ground grain in a 
hopper so the fowls can help themselves at will. This 
grain is not moistened at all. It is claimed on the one 
side that dry mash feeding keeps the fowls in better 
condition, they do not suffer from bowel troubles and do 
not overfatten. On the other hand, it is charged that this 
system is too expensive on account of the waste, the fowls 
throwing out a lot of the mash that does not suit their 
fancy, and also that the hens prefer the mash slightly 
moistened and will eat it more readily. 

A very good mash for fowls is composed of two 
parts, by weight, of bran, one part each of middlings, 
ground oats, cornmeal and beef scraps, five per cent of 
linseed meal, and Pratts Poultry Regulator in the proper 
quantity, all the ingredients well mixed. 



CHANGE OP FOOD 

Fowls, like men, need variety. In winter, food that 
heats the blood is entirely proper; in summer it should 
be avoided. Middlings in summer may be replaced in 
part by cornmeal in winter; but too much cornmeal re- 



30 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



suits in unhealthy fattening, and it ought always to be 
mixed with wheat middlings, not given pure. It is safer 
to give fattening food to the smaller and lighter breeds 
than to the larger and heavier. Avoid too much potato ; 
it is starchy and fattening. Soft food should always be 
fed in clean troughs, and must not be sloppy, but crumbly. 
If it is too sticky, it will cling to the birds' bills, and fret 
them. Remove whatever they leave at once. Scald 
troughs at least once a week. 




DIFFERENT STYLES OF FEED TRAYS. 



GRAIN 

The three great poultry grains are wheat, oats, and 
corn, and their relation in regards to material for making 
eggs stands about in the order named. Neither grain 
should be fed exclusively, and a proper feeding is a 
mixture — that is, one part wheat, one part oats, and one 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 31 

part corn, by measure. Wheat and oats are nitrogenous 
foods and corn is carbonaceous. A ration containing 
two-thirds nitrogenous and one-third carbonaceous 
material, is properly balanced. 

Barley is a good food, and can be given as a variety, 
but hens do not take kindly to it as they do wheat or oats. 
Buckwheat has some very good qualities, but it is very 
fattening and therefore should be used sparingly. As a 
rule, very little barley and buckwheat are fed by our 
American poultrymen. Feed only good, sound grain, and 
never any poor, shriveled, burnt, musty or mouldy grains, 
as such cause sickness and loss. 



ANIMAI, FOOD 

Where the fowls are but few in number, the scraps 
from the family table will be all they will need in the 
way of meat; or, if they have a wide range, they will 
supply themselves. With a large number of fowls, and 
a comparatively small run, they should have a little liver 
mixed in their food every third day or so. Boil the liver, 
chop it fine, and mix it with the soft food, using the broth 
instead of water to mix with. Be careful ; too much meat 
charges the quills with blood, and causes the fowls to 
pluck each other. Fresh chandler's scraps, clams and fish 
may also be given, and will be eagerly eaten. Clams and 



32 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

fish, however, should not be fed to hens that are laying, 
for the reason that such food (like onions and garlic) 
will taint the flavor of the egg. 

The most valuable machine around a poultry plant 
is a good bone cutter. Fresh cut bones, given twice a 
week in summer and three times a week in winter, will 
keep the fowls healthy and add greatly to the egg yield. 
One or two ounces to a fowl is sufficient. Feed in troughs 
at the noon hour. 



VEGETABLE FOOD 

The fowls cannot be kept healthy without a daily 
and ample feeding of fresh vegetable food. The laying 
down of the runs in grass, where there is plenty of room, 
will supply the best green food. If this cannot be done 
for want of space, they must have green food thrown to 
them. Cabbage leaves may be minced up and mixed with 
the soft food, or turnips may be halved or chopped, and 
put in the shed. Better than either, cut a large sod of 
turf and throw it into the run. Without green food the 
fowls will go off in looks and condition, and stop laying. 
In winter, boiled potatoes and raw cabbage make a desir- 
able addition to the food. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. && 

Clover, cut in small pieces, and either fed in the soft 
food at the morning meal, or soaked and given at noon, 
is the best green food known for poultry, aiding in the 
development of both the tgg and shell. 

Fowls will eat weeds of almost all descriptions. On 
one successful farm a lot of weeds are thrown into the 
pens each night so the fowls will have green stuff the 
first thing in the morning. It is a fact that they are more 
greedy for greens in the morning than they are at any 
other part of the day. 



DEVELOPING PULLETS 

Those who are raising pullets for layers should care- 
fully distinguish between the food that is necessary for 
making cockerels fit for market and that which will de- 
velop the laying pullets. A very large percentage of 
layers are both temporarily and permanently injured in 
ability to produce eggs by the improper course of feeding 
which many poultry keepers employ. We rarely see large 
quantities of corn or cornmeal given to colts or calves to 
assist in bringing them to maturity. Oats, bran, clover 
and Pratts Poultry Regulator are best for this purpose. 
When food is given in excess, not only is the food wasted, 
but the digestive apparatus is weakened; when an al- 



34 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

most exclusive diet of corn is fed, the growing chick 
must eat excessive quantities of it to get enough of the 
small percentage of muscle-forming material which it 
contains. Growing young fowls do not readily fatten; 
but as the pullets become somewhat matured, there is a 
tendency to take on internal fat, which can be only a 
hindrance to egg production. Corn should be fed 
sparingly in the poultry yard, both in summer and winter. 

The growing pullet should be fed solely with a view 
to the development of her frame and egg-producing or- 
gans, and for this purpose the same food that is best for 
laying hens is the best for her, since growth is regarded 
in both cases — in the one the growth of the egg, and in 
the other of bone and tissue. The chicks and laying stock 
can thus be fed with the same ration, which will prove a 
matter of economy in labor. When the cockerels be- 
come troublesome to the pullets they can be separated and 
fed separately upon the same food, or upon a diet com- 
posed more largely of cornmeal, if it is desired to fatten 
them. 

There is nothing better for growth and perfect de- 
velopment than milk, oatmeal, chopped clover, bran and 
Pratts Poultry Regulator. Every element required is 
contained in these, and in such proportions that the di- 
gestive organs will not be overtaxed by needless effort 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 35 

to secure enough of what is needed. It is preferable to 
feed the milk in the farm of sour curd, taking care, of 
course, that it is not kept too long after becoming sour. 
In this form it is highly relished by fowls, and is assimi- 
lated with no risk of bowel trouble. It is best to grind 
the oats, as they can then be digested with less tax upon 
the bird. The clover is best cut fine with a clover cutter, 
or by running it several times through an ordinary hay 
cutter, then mixed with an equal bulk of oatmeal and bran. 
This should be thoroughly moistened with boiling water, 
and allowed to stand during the day, or over night, if 
possible, as it will then be so softened as to be readily di- 
gested. The clover may be cut and used in its green 
state, or cut when in blossom and cured out of the sun, 
for use in winter. It is one of the best foods for growth, 
but on account of its bulky character must be fed in con- 
nection with more concentrated foods of a similar nature. 

In addition to those foods, an occasional ration of 
cooked vegetables of various kinds will be beneficial. If 
the pullets are confined in yards, a little ground meat or 
lean scraps from the butcher's shop, boiled and mixed 
with their soft food, should be given them. 

A pointer worth remembering is that exercise is one 
of the most important requisites for developing pullets. 
The floor of their house should be heavily littered and all 



36 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



the grain thrown among it. Make the pullets scratch ; it 
will not only grow them faster, but it will keep them in 
good health, and start them at laying earlier in life than 
when they are not put down to hard work. 



WATER 

At least once a day, and the oftener the better, the 
drinking water must be renewed. Some device that will 
keep the water pure and cool and the vessel clean is es- 
sential. Many such are easily to be had, but a vessel that 
can be taken apart easily, and cleaned thoroughly, is the 
best. The cut shows a practical water fountain that meets 
these requirements. 




WATER FOUNTAIN WATER FOUNTAIN STONEWARE 
OPEN. CLOSBD, FOUNTAIN. 

Where pans are used, they must be emptied and 
refilled very often, and so placed that they are not likely 
to have dirt scratched into them by the birds. Never 
leave your fowls without water, except on winter nights, 
when it may be best to have the vessels empty, to avoid 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



37 



freezing. Ice or snow in the winter will take the flesh off 
the fowls inevitably. 

A piece of rusty iron placed in the drinking water 
affords an iron tonic especially valuable during the Spring, 
Summer and Autumn. 




I,IME AND GRIT 

Lime in some form is indispensable for the forma- 
tion of egg shells, and should be within the reach of 
fowls at all times. Lime from an old ceiling or brick- 
layers' rubbish is suitable. Egg shells are also excel- 
lent, but should not be given without first being finely 
broken, or hens may thereby be taught to eat their own 
eggs. Oyster shells are also recommended. Lime water 
is the most effectual remedy for hens laying soft-shell 
eggs; a few teasponfuls to a pint of water is sufficient. 
Egg shells, broken finely and mixed with the meal, are 
also useful. Hens in their natural state necessarily pick 
up, with their food, a large amount of shell-forming ma- 
terial, as well as gravel ; but when fed without these being 
added, and left to their own inclination in picking them 



38 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

up, they, no doubt, obtain a much smaller proportion of 
these necessary adjuncts; we should therefore endeavor 
to imitate nature by adding these to their food. 

Good sharp grit, such as crushed flint or granite 
crystal, is absolutely necessary to the health of your 
fowls, both young and old, and it should always be kept 
within reach. 



MANURE 

Cleanliness is only to be had by collecting the drop- 
pings daily. The best plan is to have a wide board, so 
fastened that it can be easily removed, under the roosts. 
This can be cleaned daily and the droppings collected 
in a box kept for that purpose. Mixed with soot, fine 
ashes or dry dirt, they make a strong manure, excellent 
on cabbage or strawberry beds, and in fact anywhere, 
diluting when necessary. Gardeners know its value. 



CARE OF NESTS 

The straw in the nests should be softened by break- 
ing and beating before it is put in — and it must be 
changed often, so as not to get foul — otherwise the birds 
will lay outside rather than use the nests. Excelsior is 
frequently used, but most poultrymen prefer good dry 
grass. The nests should be frequently dusted with 
Pratts Powdered Lice Killer. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 39 

GATHERING THE EGGS 

Eggs should be gathered at regular times, say twice 
a day. Trap nests will enable the gatherer to know the 
egg of every hen. This is important when chickens 
are to be raised, as it is possible thus to be sure of the 
character of the brood by selecting eggs of known 
parentage. 



FEATHERS A PROFIT 

With a large stock of fowls, the feathers can be 
made an item of profit. Mix with the small feathers 
the plumage stripped from the quills of the larger ones, 
and place them loosely in paper bags. Hang them up 
in a warm place to dry, and after a few days bake them 
several times for about half an hour in a slow oven, 
hanging them up again for two or three days between 
the bakings. Thorough drying and baking makes the 
feathers crisp, and avoids the danger of offensiveness. 




40 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 




CHAPTER VI. 

HATCHING. 

SELECTING EGGS 

To avoid poor results in hatching, the eggs must be 
selected carefully. They must come from strong and 
healthy birds, and give promise of fertility. To get eggs 
from a place where there is only one cock to more than 
six or eight hens, is to invite failure in hatching, and the 
same is true where the cock is poor spirited and underfed. 
Select only fresh eggs — for stale ones, if they hatch at all, 
will produce weak chicks, and take longer in hatching. 
In geting eggs ready to set. from your own stock, write 
on each with a pencil the date of its laying, and keep it 
in a rack or in bran, butt downwards, where it cannot 
be shaken or jolted. Some pretend that the sex of the 
chick can be told from the looks of the egg y but it can- 
not be done ; nor can you be certain that an egg is fertile 
until it has been sat on for a short time at least. 

Eggs that should not be used for hatching are extra 
large ones, double-yolked, very small, with ridges or 
humps, out of shape, or with thin shells. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 41 

SITTING HENS 

Probably the best setting hens, and the most careful 
and faithful mothers, are of the American class — the Ply- 
mouth Rock, Wyandottes and Rhode Island Reds, with 
some of the foreign breeds. The Brahmas and the 
Cochins are also good, but being large and clumsy are 
very apt to break eggs in the nest or trample upon the 
young after being hatched. 

Never set hens in the regular laying house, for the 
main reason that to do so is to introduce vermin. A set- 
ting hen is a regular louse factory. 

During incubation, the only food the hen needs is 
whole corn and grit — the former being slow to digest 
keeps up the animal heat in the body of the hen, so nec- 
essary in hatching the eggs, and the latter cuts the grain 
making it more digestible. The importance of grit can- 
not be too strongly impressed upon the mind of the 
poultryman, and it also must not be forgotten that grit 
is of very little use unless it is hard and sharp. There- 
fore pebbles or gravel can hardly be called good grit 
since they generally are round and smooth, having no 
sharp edges with which to cut the grain. 

The hen is inactive while she is hatching, and, natu- 
rally, the grain does not so readily digest as is the case 
when she is about taking exercise. Therefore, absence 



42 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

of grit is very apt to produce indigestion in the sitting 
hen. Fresh water must be supplied daily, and always 
kept within reach of the hen so she can help herself at 
will. The corn and grit, too, must be constantly before 
her. 

Before the hen is set, she should be liberally dusted 
with Pratts Powdered Lice Killer, and the nest also 
dusted with it the first and second week, but it is best not 
to use insect powder in the nest during the last week of 
the hatch. Should an egg be broken in the nest, wash the 
remaining eggs with lukewarm water, and if any part of 
the nest has become soiled, it should at once be replaced 
with clean material. 



THE NEST FOR SETTING 

It has often been noted that when the hen steals her 
nest, she invariably selects a rather moist, cool spot, and, 
as a rule, the nest is made on the ground. The result 
is the hen as a general thing comes off with a good brood. 

Following up the teaching of the hen in this par- 
ticular, we have found that the best nest for a setting 
hen is a barrel laid on its side, in some shady spot out- 
doors. Enough ground is excavated to lay the barrel in 
so that it will remain firm, and the dirt placed inside upon 
which to build the nest. Then hollow out a space suffi- 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 43 

ciently large, and place the nesting material in it. The 
barrel is covered with heavy roofing paper to make it 
waterproof. 

In front of the nest a lath run is made (A-shaped), 
in which the feed and water is placed. The hen is al- 
lowed to get on and off her nest at will. 

It is a mistake to set hens in boxes, shutting them 
in so secure that the attendant must take them off and 
on the nest. No one is so wise that he knows when a 
hen should be removed and when she should be returned. 
Leave that all to the hen, and the eggs will hatch better 
and the chicks will be stronger. 

After the nest is made, place in it a china nest egg. 
Then, at night, get the broody hen and carry her to the 
nest, carefully setting her on the nest egg, and close up 
the front of the barrel with a board covering. The next 
morning take this away and allow the hen her freedom 
in the run if she wants it. After setting a day or two on 
the china egg, by which time she will become reconciled 
to her new surroundings, the setting of eggs can be given 
her. 

The day the hen starts hatching, close up the nest 
so she will be in darkness, and do not disturb her for 
twenty- four hours, by which time she will have completed 
her hatch and the chicks will be dry and strong and can 



44 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

be removed. Never remove chicks while the hatch is 
going on, as by so doing animal heat is removed and the 
hatch is apt to be crippled. Do not bother the hen until 
she hag completed her work. Do not feed nor water the 
hen while she is finishing her hatch, for the more quiet 
she remains the better will the results be, and, besides, 
it will do the hen no harm to fast for twenty-four hours. 



HOW TO SET EGGS 

Generally speaking, thirteen eggs are counted as a 
setting, but some of the poultry breeders send out fifteen. 
For early hatching, it is not advisable to give a hen more 
than eleven eggs, but after the weather becomes settled, 
from thirteen to fifteen eggs are about right, but it is 
never advisable to give a hen more than fifteen eggs, no 
matter how big the hen may be. 

Always set a hen at night, as she is not then so likely 
to become scared. The eggs should be taken in the hand, 
two at a time, and gently pushed under the hen. As she 
feels the presence of the eggs the hen will shuffle her 
body and show thankfulness. 

It is a good idea to mark the eggs with ink, so that 
in case the hen lays an tgg or two (which often occurs 
when the hen has not become thoroughly broody) the 
newly-laid eggs can be taken out. Pencil marks on eggs 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 45 

easily rub off when they come in contact with the oily sub- 
stance of the feathers of the hen. 



WHEN BUYING EGGS 

Poor hatches are often blamed on the eggs pur- 
chased, when other conditions are really at fault. On re- 
ceiving eggs from a distance, at once unpack the basket 
or box, and lay the eggs on their sides, so that the yolks 
may spread and rest. When eggs are shipped they are 
set on their ends, and the yolk settles to one point, where 
it remains safe from breakage caused by being jarred 
during travel. Naturally, the yolk in this position be- 
comes more or less cramped, and if the eggs are at once 
placed under a hen or in an incubator, the temperature 
will be too great for the condition of the yolk, and the 
result usually is weak chicks or chicks dead in the shell. 

Never set a wild, scarey hen, especially on valuable 
eggs, as in her excitement she may break them and spoil 
the hatch. 

Some hens have too much heat in their bodies for a 
good, clean hatch,- and others have insufficient heat. 

Never expect as good a hatch from eggs received 
at a distance as from those fresh from your own yards, 
as they are often considerably jarred while in transit, 
which has a strong tendency to weaken the germ. 



46 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

If results are not what were expected, don't rush an 
angry letter to the breeder, denouncing him and then ex- 
pect satisfaction. State results in a polite way, and in 
nine cases out of ten, the breeder will meet the complaint 
at least half way. 



TESTING SETTING EGGS 

Egg testers are cheap and easily obtained. The eggs 
should be tested on the seventh day. When held towards 
the light in the tester, fertile eggs will show a dark life- 
spot in the center, shading off gradually toward the edges 
Barren eggs will show perfectly clear, and should be re- 
moved. They will not prove to have been spoiled by 
being sat on, but can be used for cooking or feeding 
chickens. By taking out the barren eggs, and doubling 
up the live eggs in two nests under one hen, a new lot 
may be set under the other hen. In testing eggs at night, 
they must not be held too close to the flame, or the chicks 
may be destroyed by excessive heat. 

It is always best to set two or three hens at one time. 
Then on the seventh day, the eggs can be tested and the 
fertile ones given to one hen (or two as the case may be), 
and the remaining hen set with the new eggs. This will 
be getting more chicks in practically the same time, and 
there will not necessarily be small families. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



47 




MODERN EGG TESTER. FERTILE EGG. 



BARREN EGG. HOME-MADE TESTER. 



SECOND OR WATER TEST 

On the nineteenth day the water test may be applied. 
Put the eggs one by one in a bucket about two thirds full 
of water heated to about 105 degrees, or say as hot as 
the hand will comfortably bear. Spoiled eggs will sink, 
and should be thrown away. Live eggs will float, and 
in a little while will "bob" up and down, as if the chicks 
were trying to jump out of the water. The advantages 
of this test are not only that it enables you to make room 
in the nest by taking away the dead eggs, but it softens 
the shells of the live ones, and makes it easier for the 
chicks to pick their way out. It is not essential, how- 
ever, if you have selected fresh eggs and kept them from 
getting too dry. 



HATCHING 

Chickens hatch as a rule in twenty-one days. There 
are one or two active breeds that break out a day sooner. 



48 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



When perfectly fresh eggs have been set, some of 
them will perhaps hatch on the twentieth day, especially 
after the water test. When a chick is unable to free itself 
it is usually because it is weak, the reason probably being 
that the egg was not fresh when it was set. In such 
cases do not break the shell, but put the egg in a bowl 
of warm water for a minute or two, being careful not to 
let any water get in, if the shell is at all chipped. When 
more than one hen is sitting, the one that has hatched 
the most of her brood can be left with her chicks, and 
the belated eggs can be put under the other hen. 




PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



49 









-T^^^*^^^ 






i»iBiSM 


toil 



CHAPTER VII. 

INCUBATORS AND BROODERS. 
ARTIFICIAL HATCHING 

is nothing new, having been practiced in Egypt and other 
eastern countries for centuries. In warm, dry countries, 
it is not so much of a problem as in America, with its 
uncertain climate ; but the experimental stage is now past, 
and with proper care hatching "by hand" is an established 
fact. Generally speaking, the simpler the machinery the 
greater is the relative success. Intricate and expensive 
incubators are not desirable, because of the absolute neces- 
sity of constant attention to numberless details. It is 
not our purpose to grind anybody's axe, hence we will 
not do any more than give a general description of a 
simple form of incubator, and make a few suggestions 
as to the running of it. So many hatchers are on the 
market that the choice among them must be a matter of 
individual preference, price and ease of management 
being duly considered. 



50 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

HATCHERS 

A practical hatcher is one that perfectly regulates 
the application of heat, air and moisture; that can be 
relied upon to do its work when attended to at regular 
periods; that can be left alone over night without fear 
of overheating or cooling off the eggs; that will hatch 
out healthy chickens ; and that any one with common 
sense and average judgment can learn how to operate. 
Ten dollars will buy such a hatcher, large enough to 
carry a hundred eggs; and for a little more than twice 
the money one can be had which will carry three hundred. 

The most approved incubators apply the heat from 
the top entirely, and a uniform temperature is secured 
by the use of a metal thermostat of simple construction, 
which automatically works a valve and keeps constant any 
degree of heat desired. The source of the heat is a lamp, 
burning in a tube ; and ventilation is secured by a second 
tube outside the lamp-tube, conducting the heated air over 
the moisture pans placed in the top of the egg chamber. 
The moist, warm current of air then descends among the 
eggs, escaping through apertures in the front of the 
hatcher, which are fitted with slides so as to regulate the 
outlet thus controlling the amount of moisture. Egg- 
turning trays and testers are furnished by the maker of 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



51 



the incubator. When convenient, natural or manufac- 
tured gas can be employed for heating instead of oil. 

In recent incubators the egg chamber is made deep, 
so that the chicks when hatched drop into a nursery be- 
low, and the doors are not opened until the hatch is over. 
For practical purposes, it is desirable to have more than 
one hatcher going at once, so that the live eggs after the 
first test can all go into one, and a new lot of eggs be 
started in another. 

The points have all been so thoroughly covered by 
the manufacturers, that with a good incubator, all that 
is necessary is to faithfully follow the maker's instruc- 
tions. Carelessness or inattention will necessarily result 
in disappointment. 




HOT-AIR INCUBATOR. 



52 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 





llSl cu _JtnT 




■ jcfn , i | i--_fj" q^ — '-wm 






JIP^ ^ffffUJIl^^ ^^^ 






^^m< 


__ __„ ^ 



FOUR-SECTION HOT-WATER PIPE IN-DOOR BROODER. 



ARTIFICIAL BROODERS 



Nine dollars will buy an in-door brooder Jarge 
enough to go with a small incubator, and for the same 
price a sectional brooder is sold — five dollars extra being 
charged for each additional three- foot section. This 
brooder is also heated by a large lamp, and the heat is 
regulated automatically. When the poultry business is 
done on a large scale a hot-water outfit is wanted, and 
these are furnished with an elaborate system of piping; 
but to beg i in with the small brooders are sufficient, and 
can be used afterwards as nurseries when the business 
has outgrown their use exclusively. We show a cut of 
one of these small brooders and on the next page one 
of an out-door brooder, in which the heat is supplied by a 
lamp, and kept constant by the use of hot water. It is 
set on runners, and can be moved about like a shed. It 
will accomodate from ioo to 150 chicks, and it is claimed 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



53 



that a pint of oil will run for twenty- four hours in the 
coldest weather. 

It would be tiresome to the reader, as well as use- 
less, to go into further details on this subject, as a postal 
card sent to any manufacturer will bring you a catalogue 
covering more information than you can digest. We shall, 
however, say a few words as to the operating. 




HOT-WATER PIPE OUT-DOOR BROODER. 



54 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 




OUTSIDE VIEW OF HOME-MADE BROODER. 
INSIDE CONSTRUCTION OF HOME-MADE BROODER. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 55 

HOME-MADE BROODER 

For the convenience of those who do not desire to 
spend the money for a manufactured brooder, we show 
cuts of a cheap home-made brooder, which any one can 
make at a trifling cost. For a hundred chicks, a base 
measurement of two feet by four will be sufficient; for 
two hundred chicks, three feet by six is recommended. 
Two dollars and a half will buy the material. 

The upper illustration shows the outside, and is so 
plain that very little explanation is needed. Buy your 
glass frames first, and make brooder to fit frames. Win- 
dow panes should be 8 by 10 inches. Entrance and lamp 
hole should not be closed, as the lamp must have air. The 
joint should be a tight one (dovetail preferred) as a 
draught would result seriously. The lower illustration 
is a cross section, and is thus described : Heat is supplied 
by a 2-in. wick lamp with flat bottom L, over which is 
suspended an inverted box with a galvanized sheet iron 
bottom A, and having in its sides ventilating or gas-holes 
G G. An inch above the sheet iron is a platform C, on 
which the chicks are placed; the space between forming 
a hot-air chamber B 2 in. high. Fresh air is supplied by 
a shaft H, which can be made from i-in. speaking tube, 
and from the shaft passes into the chamber B, where it 
becomes heated, and thence rises through a warm-air 



56 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

pipe F I in. in diameter into the brooder pen P P. Here 
it is partially confined by a cover D, adjustable in height 
according to the size of the chicks, along the edge of 
which is fastened a woolen curtain E, notched so as to 
let the chicks run in and out. The warm air circulates 
through the brooding pen thus formed, and finds outlet 
through ventilators V V V in the roof of M M. The 
platform C is hinged at the point T, so that the slope R 
can be raised or lowered at will by the cord N. It is 
supported when raised by the spring S. It is important 
to have the slope inside rather than outside the brooder 
door. When inside, the chicks are invited by the open 
door, and when in they usually find their way up the 
slope to the pen ; but if the slope is outside the door they 
may fail to find the entrance, and be chilled before they 
can do so. The raising of the slope makes a double floor 
space and gives plenty of room for the chicks inside when 
the weather is too bad to let them go out. 

This form of brooder gives a constant circulation 
of warm, pure air; dries all droppings and renders them 
inoffensive; avoids all danger of crushing or crowding, 
and is in every way reliable. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 57 

THE FIRELESS BROODER 

One of the largest poultry farms in the country has 
recently adopted the Fireless Brooder system, submitting 
the youngsters to the heating method for the first two 
or three weeks of their life, and then placing them in 
fireless brooders. It is claimed that the new system grows 
more rugged chicks, and there are less cases of bowel 
complaints and leg weakness. Fireless brooders are, 
practically, nothing more than a common box in which 
is placed a bed of cut hay on which the chicks rest at 
night, while a cotton batten or woolen covering comes 
down softly on their bodies. This retains animal heat 
and the chicks are snug. 



RUNNING THE INCUBATOR 

The same rules that we have given in Chapter VI 
apply here. In artificial hatching omit the water test. 
The cellar of a dwelling is a first-rate place to set an 
incubator, on account of the uniformity of temperature. 
Keep it out of draughts. 



RUNNING THE ARTIFICIAL BROODER 

The brooder comes in play say twelve hours after 
hatching. Cleanliness is the watchword if you would 
avoid vermin. Do not keep the chicks too closely con- 



58 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



fined. In cold weather set the brooder on earth, or on 
a sanded floor, in a close room, or a shed with plenty of 
light and warm exposure. When frost is out of the 
ground it can go out-of-doors, but there should be a wire 
run around it. Warmth in the brooder must be seen to, 
especially at night; but after the brood is a fortnight old 
there will be no necessity to heat in the daytime, when 
the weather is bright. 

Justice to the maker of any machine requires that 
his rules should be followed, and as full instructions 
always accompany the brooder, no difficulty should be 
experienced if the directions are studied and kept in mind. 




CHAPTER VIII. 

REARING CHICKENS. 

FIRST CARE OF &ITT&3 CHICKS 

Chickens need no food for twelve hours after they 
are hatched, and it will not hurt them to wait twenty- 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 59 

four hours. If the eggs were set in the evening, they 
are likely to hatch in the afternoon or evening. Before 
closing up for the night, let the brood be examined, all 
broken shells removed from the nest, and the hen be fed 
and watered. Then shut her in so that she cannot leave 
her nest. In the morning the chicks will be strong, lively 
and hungry. Give them their first meal in the nest, and 
make it of corn bread, made of corn meal and Pratts 
Poultry Regulator — two ounces of the Poultry Regulator 
with every pound of meal; mix with sour milk if con- 
venient. The bread should be crumbled fine before 
feeding. Young chicks should never be fed on raw 
dough. It sours on the stomach, and causes many of 
the complaints to which they are liable. Let the hen 
have some of the bread crumbs, as well as all the corn 
she will take ; also, plenty of water for the chicks. Milk 
is also very grateful. 

Do not try to improve on nature by trying to re- 
move the little hard or horny scale from the beak of the 
chick, and do not force its appetite by poking food or 
pepper-corns down its throat. Let it learn to eat and 
drink naturally. 

Pans or dishes for milk or drinking water should be 
very shallow, or the chicks may drown themselves. 
The best plan for water is to use a fountain giving a 



60 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



constant supply, but preventing the chickens from step- 
ping into the water. In fine, warm weather, the brood 
may be moved out-of-doors as soon as fed. In cold or 
wet weather they should be coddled by the hen on the 
nest for a day longer, and when removed it should be 
to a dry and sheltered place. One great trouble with 
the little fellows is the "head lice," with which they are 
very apt to be more or less infested — not because the 
lice are so difficult to get rid of, but because they are so 
often neglected, probably on account of not knowing 
their presence. 

A good reliable remedy is Pratts Head Lice Oint- 
ment. It is safe and sure. 

It is always well to make a thorough examination 
of the head and throat of every chick about ten days 
after the hatch, and if any of them are found to be so 
infested, lose no time in quickly applying Pratts Head 
Lice Ointment. Repeat every week. This simple treat- 
ment will surely put an end to the lice. 




BARREL COOP. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



61 



COOPS FOR VTTHS CHICKS 

A cheap and good chicken coop can be made by- 
heading up a flour barrel and sawing it in two across 
the middle. Either half will serve for a coop by cover- 
ing the open part with slats. A little skill will make, 
or small amount of money will buy, a better coop. The 
main things to look at are : that the coop should be dry, 
easily ventilated but not draughty, and readily movable. 
The slats should be wide enough apart to let the chicks 



,^^£5^7 


JZNWtofc 



















COOP WITH OPEN SHED. 



through, but not the hen, and there should be a shutter 
that can be put on at night. Coops must not be put too 
close together, nor too near to the other fowls. Wire 
runs for each coop are desirable to keep the broods from 
mixing. Wherever the coop is put, it should be on dry, 
loose earth, and be frequently removed to renew the 
same and prevent fouling; or the coop itself may be 
moved bodily every few days to another place. A very 



62 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



handsome coop is one made in two compartments, one 
with a closed front and the other with bars (page 61). A 
bar partition separates the compartments, and one bar in 
each set slides up and down so as to make a door. Each 
half is about two and a half feet square. The top is solid, 
with a pane of glass in it, if desired. To make all snug 
at night, it is only necessary to hang a piece of canvas 
or carpet over the bars of the open compartment, and 
the chicks which sleep under the hen in the closed half 




COOP FOR YOUNG CHICKS. 



can run into the other for a light breakfast in the early 
morning without getting chilled, some canary seed hav- 
ing been left there for them the night before. The 
coop ought to be further sheltered by a shed or lean-to, ' 
open to the south ; and, indeed, a much simpler coop will 
do very well under a shed. If there is no shed, a good 
rain-proof coop can be made from nine-inch-wide planks, 
with some square stuff to use for framing at the corners, 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



63 



and along the top and bottom, in front, as shown in cut. 
This coop, which is made to fit over a raised floor, will 
shed rain, and do well in all weathers. The floor must 
be covered daily with fresh, dry earth, or fine sifted 
ashes. Chicks must be cooped near grass, if possible. 
A grass run, even if it is small, is very important, for 
green food is essential to health. 




FOOD FOR I,ITTI,E CHICKS 

The best possible food for young chickens is crumbs 
of corn bread, made with meal and Pratts Poultry Reg- 
ulator, as before described. It is always best to bake 
bread enough at a time to last them a couple of days, 
and they should be fed four or five times a day at the 
very least. To feed often, and a little at a time, is the 
best rule for young chickens. So continue to feed for a 
week or two, after which they should have a greater 
variety. A point of the highest importance is regularity 
in giving them their morning feed. If their first meal is 
put off until long after sunrise they will suffer from hun- 



64 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS, 

ger, and will not thrive as they ought. For the first three 
or four days a yolk of egg, boiled hard and chopped fine, 
may be given daily ; after that, a little boiled meat, finely 
minced, should be given every day until the chicks are 
nearly a month old. In fact, fowls need three kinds of 
food — animal, grain, and fresh vegetable food; and one 
half of their food should be cooked, as it digests better 
so. Green food is even more necessary to chicks than 
to grown birds. When the chicks are very young, grass 
may be cut fine with scissors, and mixed with their other 
food ; or lettuce or cabbage leaves, minced fine, may be 
given. After their beaks are stronger, these may be 
thrown in whole, instead of being cut up. 



WATER FOR UTTI/E CHICKS 

Some breeders advocate keeping water away from 
chickens during their first month, but this is against 
nature. It is important, however, that the water should 
be cool, and it pays to be careful in this respect, not only 
with chicks but with grown fowls. As soon as the 
water gets at all warm it should be spilled and renewed, 
otherwise the birds will have diarrhoea and other troubles. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 65 

SHIFTING FOR THEMSELVES 

After the first week the wire run may be dispensed 
with, and the chicks given their liberty. In another 
week the hen may be let out, but she ought not to be 
given too much of a run at first, or she will lead her 
little ones too far and overtax their strength. It is a good 
plan to dig up the soil, where there are plenty of worms, 
so as to give the chickens a chance to scratch and thus 
supply themselves with the animal food which is, as 
stated before, an essential part of their diet. By the time 
they are six or eight weeks old the hen will show signs 
of restlessness, and she should then be relieved of her 
charge. The latter may then need protection at night 
in the shape of a "cold mother," which consists of a 
wooden frame with canvas stretched over it — strips of 
thin felt or flannel being suspended from the under side 
of the canvas. Here they can cuddle and keep warm if 
the weather is cold. It is not a bad plan to separate the 
chickens from the older fowls at night until they are 
strong enough to defend themselves. 




COLD MOTHSR. 



66 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



MOVABLE HOUSES 

Small houses on wheels, or light enough to be moved 
about on a cart or barrow, are recommended where there 
is plenty of room. These make it easy to keep the chick- 
ens separate, as above suggested; and such houses may 
also be used for older fowls where the number kept is 
large. 




MOVABLE HOUSE. 



CHAPTER IX. 

EGGS AND POULTRY FOR THE MARKET. 

EGGS FOR MARKET 

When eggs are scarce and dear the poulterer who 
can supply the market will reap a corresponding profit. 
New-laid eggs at such times are not worth their weight 
in gold, but they are a sure seller. How to produce eggs 
when they are most needed is then a valuable secret. To 
make hens lay we know of nothing so sure as Pratts 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



67 



Poultry Regulator. Its value in this respect is backed by 
countless testimonials from all over the country. Other 
things being equal, the man who gives Pratts Poultry 
Regulator to his hens will draw steadily ahead of his com- 
petitors who fail to use it, and leave them far behind in 
the matter of eggs produced. There are, of course, 
other things to see to. As we have already said in Chap- 
ter IV the stock must be young to begin with, and must 
be kept so; and they must be fed liberally, but not pro- 
fusely. If you want eggs, keep breeds that are naturally 
good layers, such as Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, Black 




Hamburgs, Langshans, Houdans, Leghorns or Minorcas. 
Any of these hatched in March or April will begin to lay 
in the fall, and will continue right through the winter, 
especially when given Pratts Poultry Regulator. It need 
give you no concern that the eggs are small at first; the 
size will soon improve. You cannot expect birds hatched 
in May or June to lay until the following spring, except 



68 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



when the fall and winter are very mild. Those hatched 
in January or February will begin to lay about August; 
but they soon moult, and cannot be depended on to lay 
in the winter. Hence we recommend March or April 
hatched birds not over two years old. If half your stock 
of layers is bred each year, and half sold or killed, it will 
keep your stock as young and vigorous as need be. 



MARKETING THE EGGS 

What we have said about the value of new-laid eggs 
makes it important to market your eggs promptly after 
they are laid. A reputation for absolute freshness of 
your eggs will show in the price you can command, for 
there are always buyers who will gladly pay more for a 
surely good article. It also pays to be careful in getting 
your eggs to market clean and whole. Trifles tell. If 
you cannot get them to market immediately, have a shelf 
with holes in it, and set the eggs in, butt downward. For 
shipping, locked boxes are easily obtained, with cardboard 



WfvM 





EGG TRAY. 



A 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



69 



partitions and felt sheets, making a quick, safe and handy 
means of transportation. When you ship every day you 
can perhaps improve your price by dating each tgg f the 
endorsement operating as a guarantee of freshness; but 
in a large business this would be a good deal of a bur- 
den, and might or might not pay, according to the char- 
acter of your market. It can be done very quickly with 
a rubber stamp that can be procured especially for the 
purpose at a very small outlay. 



EGG-SHIPPING BOX. 



CHICKENS FOR MARKET 

Early poultry, like early eggs, sells at paying prices. 
To have this, the mating for the earliest hatches should 
be done in the fore part of November, with first-year 
pullets. Let the cock be young and active, and allow not 
more than six hens to each cock. Eggs laid in winter 
or late fall should be gathered promptly, so as not to get 
frosted in the nest. The plan of using your pullets for 
breeding is not recommended unless the chickens thus 



70 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



produced are for killing — for immature mothers will, in 
time, run down any race of fowls; and what is said 
about "keeping the stock young" must be taken with a 
grain of salt, and not pushed too far, if the chickens are 
to be reared to maturity. Laying fowls, therefore, should 
be bred from second-year, not first-year birds; but to 
raise "broilers" or spring chickens for the market, eggs 
from young pullets are best, and will give the most satis- 
factory results. 

FATTENING 

To make a good show on the table a bird must have 
some fat on it. It is because so little care is taken before- 
hand that there is so much lean poultry offered on the 
stalls. We have already referred to the Houdan as a 
fine table fowl, and likewise the Dorking. Besides these, 
La Fleche, Crevecceurs, Langshans, Plymouth Rocks and 
Wyandottes are all recommended. A cross of Game and 
Dorking gives a fowl with plenty of breast flesh — a thing 
highly desirable in a table fowl. To kill any fowl with- 
out fattening is to forfeit very much on the score of table 
qualities, to say nothing of appearance. It is true that 
fattening is not customary in this country; but if it were 
generally adopted the result would be a great improve- 
ment in the quality and appearance of table fowls, and 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 71 

the taste of buyers would soon become so educated that 
scrawny or lean fowls would go begging. In the mean- 
time, the poultry producer whose fowls were made supe- 
rior to the average by the fattening process would reap 
a harvest in better prices and quicker sales. Three weeks 
of fattening, in a semi-dark pen, by feeding fresh and 
sweet Indian, barley, oat or buckwheat meal, mixed sepa- 
rately or all together with skim milk, and including Pratts 
Poultry Regulator, will add two or three pounds to the 
weight of the chicken in fine, juicy flesh. The milk 
should be boiled first, anl the food mixed stiff until crum- 
bly, then rounded into the shape of a pill and dipped 
into milk. Some fatteners make a practice of cramming 
these into the crop; but it is not necessary at all times, 
and seems repulsive to any but a veteran. Suet is some- 
times added to the mixture in France, where cramming is 
the rule, and where, by the way, table poultry is seen at 
its very best. The fattening process must stop as soon 
as the birds cease to take on flesh, for they will lose it 
again otherwise. 



72 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 




KIU/ING POUI/TRY FOR MARKET 



For eighteen hours before killing the birds should 
have no food, so that all that is in the crop may be con- 
sumed. It is astonishing that anyone will buy a fowl 
with a crop full of corn — put there on purpose to make 
weight — and the shrewd buyer will avoid such a bird. 
Corn in the crop sours very soon, and thus the freshness 
of the fowl is lost. The best method of killing is to use 
the sharp knife especially sold for this purpose. The 
incision is made through the roof of the month and a 
quick thrust into the brain, which paralyzes the birds at 
once and is the most humane way to kill. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 73 

DRESSING POULTRY FOR THE MARKET 

In France the bird is plucked immediately after kill- 
ing, and then trussed on a shaping board, which consists 
of a flat board of the same width as the fowl, with a 
block at each end to support the neck and rump. Before 
placing it on the board, and while yet warm, the bird is 
manipulated by first bending in the rib bones, then press- 
ing the knee into the back, forcing in the breast, and 
tying the legs over it. Then the fowl is laid on the 
board with the breast downwards, and a wet cloth is tied 
around the whole. This shaping not only makes the bird 
easy to cook, but easy to carve, and if the plan were fol- 
lowed here it would add much to the appearance of poul- 
try on the stands as well as on the table. There is no 
doubt that care for the looks of the poultry when offered 
for sale is well bestowed, and will result in a good repu- 
tation for the producer, which will be of real value to 
him. As to the plucking, this is easy enough if done 
while the bird is warm, and should be followed by a 
careful singeing over burning paper and a quick dip in 
boiling water. 



74 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

CAPONS AND CAPONIZING 

Size being an object in capons, only large breeds 
should be selected, especially Asiatics. They should not 
be killed until they are a year old. Caponizing is easily 
done by means of a few simple instruments made espe- 
cially for the purpose. The operation, which should be 
performed when the cockerel is from three to four months 
old, should not be attempted without first seeing it done 
by someone who knows how, as there is danger of cut- 
ting the intestines. Capons bring good prices in the large 
cities, where the delicacy of their flesh is known and 
appreciated. If desired, we will supply you with the 
caponizing instruments at a reasonable price. 




NOW CAU.ED : PRATTS POULTRY REGULATOR. 

CHAPTER X. 

DISEASES OF POULTRY. 

"Not to put too fine a point upon it," disease in 
fowls may usually be traced to some error on the part 
of the keeper — either in faulty housing, crowding, want 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 75 

of cleanliness, failure to look after the dust bath, the 
food or the water, or some other neglect. Pratts Poul- 
try Regulator will help wonderfully to keep fowls in 
good condition, or to cure them when they are sick, and 
will, to be sure, do much to overcome the want of proper 
care, but not absolute neglect. Of course it may happen 
that a yard may become infected from the introduction 
of strange chickens, and this, to be sure, is not the fault 
of the keeper. All new fowls or strangers should at 
once be fed on Pratts Poultry Regulator, to prevent the 
development of any disease with which they may possibly 
be infected. 



PRATTS POULTRY REGULATOR 
FOR POULTRY AILMENTS 

When fowls begin to show signs of illness, or your 
birds begin to die off unaccountably, you must, of course, 
try to remove the cause, and at the same time apply a 
remedy. It is so hard, however, to define the disease, 
usually, that in the first instance, at least, it is best to 
rely on a remedy which is known to be effective in cor- 
recting all curable ailments of poultry, rather than lose 
valuable time at a critical period in trying to diagnose 
the case for the purpose of hitting on a specially prepared 
medicine, which may be the wrong one after all. You 



76 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

have in Pratts Poultry Regulator something that will 
cure, if the disease can be cured at all. The question has 
often been put to us : "How is it that Pratts Poultry Reg- 
ulator will cure so many different ailments ?" We are, 
therefore, anxious to explain our claims fully, so that 
while using our product, and knowing its full virtue, 
you will also understand why the results are so gratify- 
ing. It is like this : The father of an infant with a lusty 
voice and powerful lungs asked a noted doctor what 
would keep the child quiet at night. The doctor recom- 
mended Dolbey's Carminative. He was asked how he 
knew what ailed the youngster, and he replied: "I don't 
know where the pain is, and am not likely to find out, as 
the child can't tell me; and, although I can judge, I can't 
confirm my judgment. When a child cries there is some- 
thing the matter, and with this carminative the chances 
are ninety-nine in a hundred that it will strike the ail- 
ment." The child was treated accordingly, and stopped 
crying. The illustration is plain. As a poultry keeper 
you know, or if an amateur you will learn, that in many 
cases it is impossible to decide what ails your fowls, and 
even after reading the most elaborate list of symptoms 
described by makers of medicines for each particular 
disease, you are usually still in the dark. Now in Pratts 
Poultry Regulator you have just what the doctor had in 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



77 



the carminative — a preparation composed of a number of 
healthful ingredients which regulate and control the 
bowels, blood, liver and digestive organs, and make the 
fowl robust and healthy, thereby producing flesh, bone 
and muscle — and eggs, of course, follow, as they are the 
natural product of healthy fowls. This is common sense, 
and proves itself; and in using Pratts Poultry Regu- 
lator, against its small cost are to be considered the gen- 
eral health of the fowl, the increase of eggs, and the loss 
of very few — for those that you lose will be lost through 
accident, and not from disease. 

Pratts Poultry Regulator stands throughout the 
world acknowledged as a reliable remedy for roup, gapes, 
cholera, and, in fact, all the common ailments of the flock ; 
and in using it you will feel that you are doing the right 
thing, and have not selected a wrong remedy through 
making a mistake in the symptoms of the disease. There 
are, however, certain simple remedies which may be 
adopted, and it is to these we shall address ourselves, 
rather than advise you to set up a drug store on your place 
or take a course in medicine. 



78 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

ANEMIA 

Lack of blood. Symptoms: Weakness, wasting of 
flesh; comb and wattles pale. Cause: Improper food — 
leads to indigestion, roup, etc. Cure: Give balanced 
ration, with Pratts Poultry Regulator, and spray houses 
with Pratts Dip and Disinfectant. 



APOPI/EXY 

Caused by overfeeding or fright. Symptoms : Fall- 
ing from perch, peculiar motion of head, loss of control 
of limbs. Cure: Give two teaspoonfuls castor oil, and 
bleed from large vein under wing. Reduce diet, and give 
mashes of Pratts Poultry Regulator. Keep in a quiet 
coop. 

ASTHENIA; or, Going I,ight 

Cause : Lice or mites, bad digestion, improper food. 
Cure: Use Pratts Powdered Lice Killer on bird; give a 
well-balanced ration, with Pratts Poultry Regulator. 



ATROPHY; or, Wasting of the I,iver 

Cause : Lack of properly balanced ration — practi- 
cally starvation. Symptoms: Fowls are dull, bad color 
of comb and wattles, refuse to exercise. Cure: Right 
diet, plenty of green food, plenty of fresh water, and 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 79 

Pratts Poultry Regulator. One-half teaspoonful "Fow- 
ler's Solution of Arsenic" may be added to each quart 
of drinking water, and good results will follow. 



B£ACK HEAD 

Symptoms. — Loss of appetite, weakness, loss of 
flesh, diarrhea and the head becomes discolored. 

Cause. — Usually found in turkeys and caused by a 
parasite taken with the food into the digestive organs, 
which attacks the liver. It is very contagious. 

Treatment. — This disease is very hard to cure. Sep- 
arate sick birds at once and thoroughly disinfect all coops, 
utensils, and runs with Pratts Dip and Disinfectant. Put 
eight drops of Pratts Dip into each gallon of drinking 
water for both the sick and well birds. Give sick birds 
three times a day: sulphur, 10 grains; sulphate of iron, i 
grain; sulphate of quinine, i grain. Give soft feed with 
Pratts Poultry Regulator twice daily. 



BI,ACK ROT 

A condition of the comb caused by imperfect circu- 
lation of the blood through it ; hard to cure. Symptoms : 
Darkening of the color of the comb; loss of appetite of 
the bird, which remains on roost or in one position for 
hours. Cure: Paint comb with a preparation of two 



80 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

ounces of Water, one ounce of Glycerine and four grains 
of Carbolic Acid Crystals. Keep bird in dry, sunny 
house. Give nourishing diet, with Pratts Poultry Regu- 
lator and plenty of water and greens. 



BROKEN BONES 

Unless young and the bird is valuable, kill and use 
for table. A young bird's bones quickly unite, and if the 
shank is broken, make splints of pine wood, bandage 
leg with cotton cloth, wrapping around leg about twice, 
then put on splints mentioned above and wind cloth over 
splints, sewing cloth tightly to prevent the splints from 
slipping. 

BRONCHITIS 

Caused by exposure to storms, by cold, by irritating 
particles of dust or lime, and by foul air. Cure: Give 
daily homeopathic Tincture of Aconite, give soft feed, use 
Pratts Poultry Regulator. Disinfect with Pratts Dip and 
Disinfectant. 

BUMBLE FOOT 

Caused by perches being too high, bruises, irritation 
from glass, splinters, small stones, etc., being imbedded 
in foot. Symptoms : Fowl limps, and stands on one leg ; 
corn appears on bottom of foot, which swells and ulcer- 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



81 



ates. Cure : With a sharp knife cut across the ulcer and 
remove all pus; then paint the cavity with a solution of 
Nitrate of Silver, using ten grains to one ounce of water. 
Bind foot with clean rag and keep bird on clean, dry 
straw until better. 



CANKER 

Very contagious. Disinfect house and yards. 
Symptoms : Bird has trouble swallowing food and water, 
sores in throat and on head. Cure: Similar to Diphthe- 
ria. Mix Pratts Roup Cure with drinking water. Apply 
scorched Powdered Alum to sores, or make a swab, 
moisten it, dip into Pratts Roup Cure, and rub on the 
sore spots. 



CATARRH 

Similar to a mild case of Roup. Caused by cold 
winds and draughts. Symptoms : Fowl sneezes, shak'ing 
the head, mucous membranes become thick, eyelids sticky, 
and birds lose desire for food. Cure: Keep fowl in a 
warm, dry, sunny place. Give Pratts Roup Cure in drink- 
ing water. For local treatment apply by atomizer, twice 
a day, a solution composed of 30 grains of Sulphate of 
Quinine mixed with an ounce of hot water. 



82 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

CHICKEN POX 

Symptoms: Yellowish pimples on head, weakness 
and loss of sight. It is contagious. Bird should be sepa- 
rated from flock. Cure : Rub all affected parts with 
Vaseline, and mix Pratts Poultry Regulator with mash 
and give plenty of cut clover or green food. Disinfect 
buildings and yards with Pratts Dip and Disinfectant. 



CHOLERA 

A germ disease; very contagious. Symptoms: 
Watery diarrhea, sluggishness, rough plumage, drooping 
wings, head dropped, great thirst, and eyelids half 
.closed. Cause: Generally started by filth, or given to 
healthy birds by the germs being carried to their runs or 
houses. Cure : Disinfect thoroughly with Pratts Dip and 
Disinfectant. Remove to other quarters all well birds. 
Scald all troughs and drinking fountains. Give Pratts 
Poultry Regulator in mashes. 



COI,DS 

Caused usually by exposure to cold, wet weather. 
Give Pratts Poultry Regulator and use Pratts Roup Cure 
in drinking water. Give a two grain quinine pill daily for 
3 days. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 83 

CONGESTION AND INFLAMMATION 
OF THE LIVER 

Symptoms. — Lack of color in comb and wattles; 
sluggishness, diarrhea of a brown color, arched back and 
loss of appetite. 

Cause. — Overfeeding, too much starch in ration and 
not enough exercise. 

Treatment. — Have mash composed largely of cut 
clover with bran, middlings and Pratts Poultry Regulator. 
Give each bird a teaspoonful of castor oil, and give daily 
for a week, 10 grains sulphate of magnesium and 2 grains 
bicarbonate of sodium. For grain, use peas, oats and 
wheat and scatter it in clean litter to compel exercise. 
Disinfect thoroughly with Pratts Dip and Disinfectant. 



CONSTIPATION 

Stoppage of bowels, clogged vent, etc. Most com- 
mon in young chicks. Cause : No exercise, lack of green 
food and food containing too little of the coarser kinds 
of grain. Cure: Increase bran and cut clover in mash 
with Pratts Poultry Regulator; give plenty of green 
foods, such as cabbage, lettuce, etc. 



84 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

CONSUMPTION AND TUBERCULOSIS 

Consumption : Wasting of body and usually preceded 
By Roup, Bronchitis or Pneumonia. More rapid than 
Consumption. In either case the birds become light, stop 
laying, comb and wattles get whiter and indigestion in- 
creases. Cure: Kill and burn all the sick birds. Clean 
out every part of the poultry house ; Disinfect with Pratts 
Dip and Disinfectant and whitewash. Put new litter in 
nests and on floor. Rake off a little of the bare surface of 
the runs, then disinfect the entire run and plow if possi- 
ble. Scald every trough and drinking vessel. Give plenty 
of good food and clean drinking water to the rest of the 
flock. Breed only from perfectly healthy birds, and feed 
Pratts Poultry Regulator daily as a preventive. 



CORNS 

Thick cuticle at the sole of the foot. Cause : High or 
narrow perches, or from pebbles. Cure : Have broad, flat 
perches ; pare off the outer layers of hardened cuticle, and 
bathe daily with Tincture of Iodine. 



CROP BOUND 

Impacture and enlargement of the crop. Cause: 
Obstruction at the outlet of the crop by long pieces of 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



85 



grass or hay, and retention and swelling of grain. 
Usually started by gluttony and gorging. Cure: Give 
the bird some Castor Oil or Olive Oil; then, holding 
the bird's head downward, work the contents of the 
crop with the fingers and gradually empty the crop at the 
mouth. Work very carefully and with patience. If this 
does not succeed, pluck the feathers from the breast, cut 
the outer skin about i in. in length near the upper part 
of the crop. Then cut through the crop, making an in- 
cision about half an inch in length. Carefully remove 
contents of crop, and see that the outlet is not obstructed; 
then sew with white silk the walls of the crop first. Care 
must be taken so that when sewing the walls of the crop 
nothing else is included. After this is done, the other 
tissues and skin should be drawn together with several 
stitches. In five or six days remove the stitches from 
the outer skin and do not feed the fowl for at least 
twenty-four hours. Then feed lightly on well-cooked 
mashes, or bread and milk, for several days; give no 
grain whatever. 



DIARRHEA 

Caused in young chickens by chilliness and lack of 
mothering. In adult birds, from colds, coarse food, ab- 



86 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



sence of grit, irregular feeding, improper fdod, filthy 
water, etc. Cure; Separate at once. Keep fowls warm 
and in a dry place. Give Pratts Poultry Regulator ; feed 
boiled rice, and thoroughly cook and mash. A dose of 
Castor Oil is good, and put one teaspoonful on Tincture 
of Iron to one quart of water for their drink. 



DIPHTHERIA 



Winter dHsease. Caused by improper housing, and 
lack of cleanliness. Symptoms : Cold and high fever, with 
white spots in the throat, discharge from nostrils, and 
a stiff neck. Disease is very contagious and the fowl 
should be removed from the flock at once, and the house 
and yards thoroughly fumigated and disinfected. It 
generally proves fatal, and being so contagious and 
dangerous, we advise killing the bird at once, unless it is 
a very valuable one. Treatment : Make a gruel of Pratts 
Poultry Regulator, and give a tablespoonful four times 
a day. Smoke the bird over burning sulphur, being very 
careful, as you may contract the disease from the bird. 
Spray throat with peroxide of hydrogen. Mix Pratts 
Roup Cure with drinking water. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 87 

DROPSY 

A collection of water found between tissues. Cause : 
Filthy houses and Runs and improper food. Cure: Put 
one teaspoonful of Nux Vomica to one quart of water 
for their drink. Have clean quarters, clean Runs, and 
proper food, and mix Pratts Poultry Regulator with the 
regular feed. Give a good supply of greens and grit. 



DROPSY OF FEET 

Due to a gouty or sluggish condition of the circula- 
tion. Cause : Congested liver, freezing of the feet, crowd- 
ing with food and no exercise. Cure: Give plain food 
with Pratts Poultry Regulator, green vegetables, cut 
clover, and a dose or two of Castor Oil. 



DYSENTERY 

Symptoms: Excessive diarrhea. Cause: Neglected 
diarrhea, filthy food or drinking water, and poor care. 
Spreads by means of the droppings. Cure: Put Pratts 
Roup Cure in drinking water. Feed lightly; give one- 
third of mash of cut clover; give Pratts Poultry Regu- 
lator, and lots of grit and bread soaked in scalded milk. 



88 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

ECZEMA 

Symptoms : White pimples on wattles, which spread 
and become crusted; birds are listless, and lose appetite. 
Cause: Over-feeding of a highly nitrogenous ration, or 
from too close in-breeding. Cure : Give plenty of clover 
and green vegetables, but very little meat. Feed Pratts 
Poultry Regulator in mash, and give one grain of Calomel 
every night for a week. Bathe affected parts with Pratts 
Dip and Disinfectant. 



EGG BOUND 

Cause: Overfat condition of entire system, which 
affects Qgg passage. Egg Bound causes death from heart 
disease. Egg Bound hens frequently lay double-yolk 
eggs. Symptoms : Tail feathers lowered, aimlessly mov- 
ing about, frequently going to nest without laying. 
Cure: Long-continued cases hard to cure. If a simple 
case, with an oiled finger try to reach and break the egg, 
removing it all if possible. If beyond reach, give twenty 
drops of fluid extract of Ergot in warm water, and after 
an hour or so, steam the vent of bird over warm water. 
House alone and feed lightly, giving plenty of cut clover, 
Pratts Poultry Regulator and greens, but little fat- 
producing foods. 



PRAT TS POULTRY POINTERS. 89 

ENEMIES 

Lice — Nothing does more harm to poultry than lice, 
and no lice-infested poultry plant can succeed. Lice 
weaken the fowls and they quickly fall victims to dis- 
eases of various kinds. First of all, dust every fowl 
thoroughly with Pratts Powdered Lice Killer, which is 
the surest and most effective powder for this purpose on 
the market, and will quickly kill and drive away all lice. 
Then thoroughly clean the house and spray the whole 
inside of the house with Pratts Liquid Lice Killer. Be 
careful to reach every crack, nook and corner, especially 
the ends of the roosts where fastened to the house. 
Also spray the ground in the Run. Cleanliness, white- 
wash and Pratts Lice Killers will prevent lice. Pratts 
Powdered Lice Killer will also kill mites, fleas, ticks and 
gnats. Carefully examine the heads of little chicks and 
apply Pratts Head Lice Ointment — this will save many 
lives. 

Rats — Rats will destroy chicks by the hundred. Use 
traps of various kinds, continually scalding them. Rat 
poison should also be used, but care taken that 'it is kept 
away from the fowls. 

Mice — Should never be tolerated. Use traps and 
cats until they are exterminated. 

Cats — A good cat is a great benefit around a poul- 



90 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

try plant; but a bad one, the worst possible enemy of 
the place. Cats should be trained when young to let the 
chicks alone. Some cats cannot be taught, so must be 
sent away at once. 

Dogs — A well-trained dog is a valuable adjunct to a 
poultry plant; but look out for stray dogs, which will 
destroy your chicks in short order. 

Weasels, Minks, Oppossums, Foxes and Skunks all 
destroy chickens. Use traps and cover all entrances to 
poultry houses at night with a fine wire netting. 

Hawks — Guineas, if kept, will usually give the alarm. 
Traps set in a platform at the top of a pole near the 
yard will frequently catch them. 

Crows — Crows eat young chickens. Rig up a scare- 
crow, and fasten bright pieces of tin to strings attached 
to poles. 

Thieves — If thieves are prevalent in your neighbor- 
hood use electric alarms, and have a good watch dog. 



FROST BITES 

The comb or wattles become purple or black. Bathe 
with compound Tincture of Benzoin, or apply twice a 
day an ointment of three tablespoonfuls of Vaseline, one 
tablespoonful of Glycerine and one-half teaspoonful of 
Turpentine. Thaw the comb out gradually. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



91 



GAPES 

Direct cause of death of thousands of young chicks. 
Due to irritation of the wind-pipe by a small, red, 
two-pronged worm. These parasites are found in earth 
worms, in water and frequently are in the soil and litter 
of Runs. As soon as chicks are found to be infected, 
remove to other houses. The symptoms are easily recog- 
nized. The fowl has difficulty in breathing. Mouth 
opens frequently and bird gaps or gasps for breath. 
There is some coughing accomplished by frothy slime. 
Death usually results quickly from suffocation. 

There are one hundred and one so called remedies, 
but we have never heard of a failure to cure this disease 
where Pratts Gape Cure has been used as directed. It 
not only cures, but will prevent gapes if used in the drink- 
ing water. 

Don't waste time and money in using gape remedies 
which tell you to mix the remedy with the feed. You 
cannot cure a case of gapes that way. You will always 
have complete success by simply placing Pratts Gape Cure 
in the drinking water as directed, and we then guarantee 
a cure. 



92 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

GASTRITIS 

Enlargement of the food passage just before it 
reaches the gizzard. Symptoms : Loss of appetite, ruf- 
fled feathers, emaciation, constipation or diarrhea, and 
general weakness. Cause : Overfeeding, lack of grit, ir- 
ritation from poison or pins, nails, etc. Cure : Give 
Castor Oil. Feed Pratts Poultry Regulator with bread and 
milk, give plenty of grass or vegetables, and have grit 
within easy reach. Put about twenty grains of Bicarbo- 
nate of Soda in one quart of drinking water, or one-tenth 
of a grain of Arsenite of Copper to a pint of drinking 
water. 



INDIGESTION 

Affects entire digestive system. Cause : Lack of ex- 
ercise, not enough green food, overfeedmg, or badly- 
balanced ration. Cure: Have clean house, pure water, 
and feed a well-balanced ration at regular hours; feed 
Pratts Poultry Regulator daily. 



INFLAMMATION OF EGG PASSAGE 

Usually fatal. Symptoms: A continual straining, 
wings are dropped, ruffled feathers, and the vent is red 
and hot. Cause : Generally over-fat condition, too stim- 
ulating a ration, injury from breaking of egg, or from 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 93 

irritation. Cure: Examine, and by use of oiled ringer, 
find out if there is an egg or broken egg in passage. If 
so, gently remove it. Give one-half teaspoonful Sulphate 
of Magnesia in about a tablespoonful of warm water. 
Feed lightly, but give plenty of cut clover and greens, 
with Pratts Poultry Regulator. 



I,EG WEAKNESS 

Staggering gait, sitting down to eat, and flapping of 
wings while walking. Cause: Overfeeding, and a poorly 
balanced ration. Cure, Feed no corn or cornmeal, mix 
Pratts Poultry Regulator with mash, and give plenty of 
steamed cut clover. Rub legs with Tincture of Arnica 
or Pratts Liniment, and put iron in drinking water. 



PASTING UP 

In little chicks; caused by weakness or improper 
food. Cure: Soften mass with warm water and Sweet 
Oil, and remove, anoint with Cosmoline. Give a dose 
of Olive Oil, then feed mash with plenty of bran, cut 
clover and Pratts Poultry Regulator in it. Give plenty 
of grass and put a little iron in drinking water. 



94 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

PERITONITIS 

Inflammation of membranes covering organs in ab- 
domen. Usually caused by outside violence. Symptoms : 
High fever, hot to the touch over the bowels, great weak- 
ness, falling on its side with legs drawn up. Cure : Peri- 
tonitis is usually fatal. One grain Opium pills, twice a 
day, will ease the bird. All food should be liquid. 



PIP 

A drying and hardening at the end of the tongue, 
accompanied by a cough. Cause: Stoppage of the nos- 
trils, which compels the chick to breathe through the 
mouth. Paint tongue with Glycerine and water twice 
daily and remove the cause of the disease. Feed Pratts 
Poultry Regulator mixed in soft mashes and the trouble 
will disappear. 

PNEUMONIA 

Catarrhal inflammation of the lining of the air cells 
of the lungs. Symptoms: Panting for breath, dullness, 
loss of appetite and sluggishness. Cause : Colds, expos- 
ure, dampness and bad air. Cure : Disease is dangerous 
and generally fatal. Place birds in a warm room, with 
good ventilation. Feed milk and beef juice, with bran, 
served warm. One drop Tincture of Aconite should be 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 95 

given every three hours. Have a pan of hot water in the 
room, in which place a teaspoonful, of Pratts Dip and 
Disinfectant. 

RHEUMATISM 

Symptoms : Swollen joints, lameness and contractions 
of the muscles. Cause : Too much meat being fed and ex- 
posure to cold and dampness. Cure : Dry sunny houses, 
plenty of green vegetables and cut clover. Give Pratts 
Poultry Regulator in mash. Rub joints with Pratts Lini- 
ment. 



ROUP 

An infectious disease of the air passages. Prevalent 
in late Fall and wet seasons. Symptoms : Discharges 
at mouth and nostrils, swelled head, offensive breath, dif- 
ficult breathing, canker spots and exhaustion. Cause: 
Exposure to cold, dampness, filthy quarters or neglect. 
Prevention is better than a cure and Pratts Roup Cure 
will positively prevent this disease. Treat as soon as 
first symptom is noticed. Mix Pratts Roup Cure in soft 
drinking water. Separate the sick chickens and do not 
let the diseased fowls have access to the regular drinking 
water. In case the fowl cannot see to drink, heat the 
water and bathe it with the solution. If taken in time, 
the fowl will be saved. Be sure to disinfect with Pratts 
Dip and Disinfectant. 



96 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

RATTLING IN THE THROAT 

Cause. — Usually cold and dampness. 

Treatment. — Mix one part turpentine and four parts 
sweet oil and give 8 to 10 drops daily, and put Pratts 
Roup Cure in the drinking water. Red or irritated skin. 
— Apply vaseline or Pratts Healing Ointment. 



SORE HEAD 

This is a form of chicken-pox. It is very contagious. 

Treatment.- — Separate sick birds at once. Disinfect 
plant with Pratts Dip and Disinfectant. Apply a strong 
solution of sulphate of zinc or Pratts Dip to the sores. 
Put a little bromide of potassium in the drinking water. 
Anoint head with one part Pratts Dip to five parts vase- 
line. 



SWEW,ED HEAD 

Treatment. — Bathe entire head night and morning 
with equal parts vinegar and water. Put Pratts Roup 
Cure in the drinking water and give Pratts Poultry Regu- 
lator in gruel form. 



SCAI,Y £EG 

Contagious. A result of the irritat'ion of a parasite. 
Cure : Pratts Head Lice Ointment is a guaranteed remedy 
for this disease. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 97 

THE ROUND WORM 

Not dangerous except from the massing of large 
numbers. Symptoms: Comb and wattles pale, the bird 
thin, and there may be slight diarrhea. Cure: Dissolve 
in the water used for the mash two grains Santonine for 
each fowl to be treated, then mix Castor Oil with the 
mash, one-half teaspoonful for each bird. Collect drop- 
pings and remove them out of the reach of birds, or keep 
fowl from food for twenty-four hours; then give each 
bird two-thirds of a teaspoonful of Areca Nut Powder. 
The next day, give one-half teaspoonful of Castor Oil. 



THE TAPE WORM 

Only occasionally found in fowls. The fowl infected 
w'ill have hearty appetite, yet appear thin and weak. 
Give the fowl six drops of Oil of Male Fern in one tea- 
spoonful of Castor Oil. Do this in the morning, and two 
or three hours later give a mash with one tablespoonful 
of Castor Oil in it to the bird. 



98 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 




VICES 

Egg-Eating — caused by fowls eating an tgg that 
has been dropped and broken on the floor, or from eat- 
ing egg-shells that have not been crushed. Some fowls 
can never be cured, and had better be killed. If one is 
caught at it, separate at once, as the habit becomes con- 
tagious. One method of curing is to pare the horny 
beak of the fowl down to the quick and place some china 
eggs before it. Another method is to feed a large quan- 
tity of broken eggs at one time, which will sicken the 
fowl and cure the vice. 

Feather-Eating and Feather-Pulling — Caused by too 
closely confining the fowls and allowing them to be idle. 
Usually cured by giving plenty of exercise and a ration 
with a large quantity of greens, cut clover, beef, scraps, 
animal meat, fresh bone and good sharp grit. Let the 
chickens peck at a strip of salt pork hung in the hen- 
house. Treat fowl that has been plucked by rubbing on 
skin Carbolated Vaseline, 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



99 



Filthy feeding (eating the droppings, or other filth) 
causes bowel trouble, and can be prevented by having 
clean houses, Runs and troughs, and making the fowls 
exercise. 

VENT GI,E£T 

Symptoms. — Frequent passages of excrement which 
is voided in small quantities. There is a white, offensive 
discharge, which collects on the skin and feathers about 
the vent and causing irritation and inflammation. Mem- 
branes are dry, red and swollen. 

Cause. — By an inflammation of the cloaca. 

Treatment. — Separate sick birds at once and disin- 
fect with Pratts Dip and Disinfectant. Hold the lower 
part of the bird for one-half hour daily in a bucket of 
warm water that contains two to four teaspoonfuls of 
bicarbonate of soda. Then dry the bird and inject into 
the bowels a teaspoonful of water containing 3 drops 
of Pratts Dip. Use Pratts Dip one part and vaseline six 
parts on sores around vent. Feed mash feed containing 
cut clover and Pratts Poultry Regulator. 



VERTIGO 

Symptoms: Staggering, slight convulsions, throw- 
ing up the head and back or to the side, or a rush of 
blood to the brain. Cause: Over-fed condition. Cure: 



100 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

Correct diet ; give abundance of green food. Feed Pratts 
Poultry Regulator and mix Pratts Roup Cure in the 
drinking water. 



WIND PUFF 

Cause.— Frequently seen in young chicks. Air un- 
der the skin causes it to puff. Usually caused by lung 
trouble. 

Treatment. — Puncture the skin and bathe with one 
part Pratts Dip and Disinfectant to ten parts water. 



WARTS 

Treatment. — For warts on fowls' heads, wash with 
soap and warm water and a small quantity of Pratts Dip. 
Wipe dry and anoint daily for a week with one part 
spirits of turpentine, one part cedar oil, and one-half 
part carbolic acid. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



101 




CHAPTER XL 

BREEDING FOR EXHIBITION. 

ACCOMMODATIONS 

Fancy breeding requires special preparation of 
quarters; but any plan is good which sufficiently provides 
for separation of sexes and breeds, healthy and roomy 
Runs for the young chickens, careful housing and feed- 
ing, and close attention. 



SELECTION 

Mere preservation of purity in a breed is not of so 
much value as improvement. Marked features in any 
breed may be accentuated by careful breeding, on ihe 
principle of selection, and special points may thus be de- 
veloped as desired. Without careful selection, the dis- 
tinctive points will gradually disappear. On the other 
hand, artificial selection, carried too far, and with only 
one point in view, will result in deterioration in other 
points. Crossing, therefore, becomes important. 



102 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

CROSSING 

The purpose of crossing is the improvement of one 
breed by introducing the desirable characteristics of an- 
other. Thus any desired point, possessed in perfection by 
one breed, can be introduced into another by crossing, and 
by selection every other characteristic of the cross can be 
bred out again. There is practically no limit in improve- 
ment by means of strict selection and intelligent crossing. 



STOCK 

It is useless to begin with poor stock. Get the best 
breeds at once, and if you have no friend whose experi- 
ence is a sure guide, study the subject thoroughly, and 
get the points fixed in your mind. Our descriptions will 
enable you to recognize the various breeds, and you can 
study them under your own eyes at the shows. In buying, 
trade only with regular dealers of established reputation. 
It is unnecessary to purchase both sexes from the same 
family; but to buy both from one yard is of this advan- 
tage, that you avoid the risk of an erratic breeding, which 
is quite likely to result from the first cross. 

AGE 

The ages of cock and hen should not be the same. 
A one-year-old cock, mated with hens a year older, will 
produce the strongest and best chickens; but as the pro- 
portion of cocks produced is apt to be large in such cases, 
it is wiser to put a two-year-old cock with younger hens. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



103 



INTERBREEDING 

It will not do to breed continuously from members 
of the same family, nor yet to interbreed promiscously 
in the same yard; but if the families are kept strictly 
separate, they can be interbred successively for a number 
of years without calling in any other yard. The scien- 
tific plan is to record carefully the parentage of every 
bird, and keep the chickens of each family identified 
until needed. In the following year, the best specimens 
are selected for the breeding yards, with care that the 
cocks and hens are of different families; and further, 
that two yards are thus made up without any close 
family connection between them. This will give a chance 
to mate unrelated birds in the next year, also, and so on. 
Another good plan is to send away one of the young 
cocks to some other yard or farm for a year. When he 
comes back he will be so remotely related to the new 
pullets that it will do no harm to mate him with them. 
When a new cock is brought in, let him be of undoubted 
pedigree, as well as a good specimen of his breed. 



MARKING 

It is established that the cock has the most influence 
in marking the chickens as to colors, comb and fancy 
po'ints generally. He ought, therefore to be chosen for 



104 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

these; and while it is of course best to have a perfect 
bird, his want of size, if he is all right in other respects 
will not be harmful, if he is mated with good hens ; but 
never choose a cock who is faulty in comb or plumage. 
For the same reason, avoid a small or ill shaped hen, but 
do not discard her because of a few faulty feathers or an 
indifferent comb. As a general rule, cockerels resemble 
the father, and pullets the mother, more or less. If, 
therefore, it is desired to increase the size of a strain, 
cross with an outside hen; and so if a better breast, or 
any change in shape is desired; but if a change in 
plumage is wanted, cross with an outside cock. In 
breeding the cross out again, to form a new variety, 
observe the same rules. 



HAREM 

If because of high prices, only three first-class birds 
can be afforded, it is wise to add to the harem say two 
or more hens of ordinary breeds, otherwise the birds 
will suffer from too much gallantry, and lose their 
feathers. Of course, the eggs should be so different as 
to be readily distinguishable. Four hens are enough for 
fine breeding, except in the case of Houdans and some 
others. Some breeders allow six. A hen must not be 
kept from sitting entirely ; but it is better to set a fancy- 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 105 

bred hen on duck's eggs than on her own, for when 
hatched the ducklings will soon be independent of their 
foster mother. 



HATCHING FOR EXHIBITION 

With hardy breeds, set as soon after January as 
possible, to give plenty of time for growth before the 
shows. Give no hen more than seven or eight eggs. If 
six hatch, they are all she will be able to cover when 
they are grown to the age when they need her most. 
Delicate breeds, like Spanish or Dorkings, should not 
be hatched before April, unless the shelter is unusually 
good. For early eggs, mate the birds early in December, 
and do not change about, or the cock may turn sulky if 
deprived of a bird to which he has become attached. 
See that the cock is well fed, even if he has to be attended 
to separately. If very gallant, he will wait until his 
wives are satisfied before helping himself, and may thus 
get less than his share. 



REARING FOR EXHIBITION 

Except in the case of Game and Bantams, size is 
very important in exhibiting. Therefore see to it that 
the chicks get enough. It is needless to advise the 
utmost care as to their warmth and health. The feeding 



106 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

should be frequent — every two hours is not too often; 
but after a month, gradually reduce the number of meals, 
so that the rule at three months shall be four times a 
day. At ten weeks, weed out the poor birds, and sepa- 
rate the sexes. Do not let prize chickens roost until 
they are three months old, and then be sure that the 
perches are large and low. If there is no grass run, 
give plenty of green food. In "weeding out," do not 
save a bird unless it is really fine. Indifferent birds 
only crowd the yard and hinder the development of 
good ones. Do not fail to feed Pratts Poultry Regulator ; 
the result in cases like this will more than please you. 



BEFORE THE SHOW 

When the birds are ready to exhibit, which will 
not to be until they are six months old, such as are to be 
shown in the same pen should be placed in company at 
least ten days before the show, so as to get used to each 
other. An important point is the washing of the head 
and legs, after which they should go in a dry room well 
covered with clean straw, into which have been sprinkled 
a few handfuls of wheat. In scratching for the grains 
they get themselves perfectly clean. A little sulphate 
of iron dissolved in the drinking water will redden the 
combs, and add greatly to the appearance. Feed well 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 107 

and give plenty of fresh green food. Do not omit the 
steady use of Pratts Poultry Regulator. Birds of light 
color, or with a good deal of white in their plumage, will 
need to have their feathers washed, and where the bird 
is all white, a small quantity of wash blue in the water 
will heighten the effect. For the legs, use a stiffish brush, 
for comb, a soft one. For the plumage, good yellow 
soap and a sponge are needed. The easiest way is to fill 
a tub or pan part full of warm water, and put the bird 
into it. All the soap must be rinsed out of the feathers, 
and a final rinse with cold water will keep the bird from 
catching cold. Dry off with a towel, and set the bird 
in a lined basket in front of a fire. Buckwheat and 
hempseed, fed for a week or two before the show, will 
add luster to the plumage. The comb may be further 
improved by rubbing in a little fresh butter and wiping 
it off thoroughly with a damp rag. 



SHIPPING HAMPERS 

A round hamper is the safest. For Spanish or other 
large-combed breeds, stitch a piece of canvas over the 
top. In general, however, use a flat wicker top. In 
cold weather the hamper should be lined with canvas or 
straw stitched in. 

POINTS 

These will be covered in our description of the 
various breeds (see Part II). 



108 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 




CHAPTER XII. 

WATER FOWLS, TURKEYS, GUINEAS, PIGEONS, AND 
PEA-FOWLS. 

DUCKS 

Ducks can be made to pay, being hardy, easy to 

raise, and usually salable at good prices. Good ground 
is not essential, but a running stream of water is desir- 
able, although a pond will do. Some shelter is desirable, 
but it will not do to keep the ducks with hens, the 
former being comparatively uncleanly. They eat a good 
deal, but fatten rapidly on boiled rice, and are also good 
layers, their eggs always selling well, especially to con- 
fectioners. In the fall and winter they want a house, 
which need not be very large. One three feet high will 
serve. It should be kept dry and well ventilated. A 
shed is not necessary unless the house is very small. 
Cover the floor with clean straw, and use the same, with 
bricks for nests. It is well to have a hollow railing 
around the yard, to keep the birds from laying outside, 



PRATTS POfflLTRY POINTERS. 109 

which they will do if let out too early in the morning. 
The wild duck, or Mallard, is supposed to be the progen- 
itor of all the other breeds, of which we will describe 
seven varieties. 



RAISING DUCKS 

as in raising chickens, the object to be secured must 
be considered. If breeding is the purpose, the drake 
should not be over two years old. If near that age, two 
ducks to one drake is the rule; but if young and vigor- 
ous, two drakes may be given five ducks. The eggs 
may be hatched under large Brahma or Cochin hens, 
but must be kept moist. A dozen eggs are enough for 
one nest. If put into an incubator, it must not be with 
hens' eggs in the same hatcher, for ducks' eggs require 
more moisture, which is got by a daily sprinkling, and 
more air, with a longer-cooling time. Duck eggs usually 
take twenty-eight days to hatch, but may open a day or 
two before that. The ninth or tenth day is the best one 
for the first test, and the water test may be made on the 
twenty-fifth day. After the hatching, the ducklings may 
be treated much as chicks should be (see page 58). 
Unless you are raising for the table, do not feed too 
liberally, or with fattening food, but give bone-forming 
food. In raising for the table, flesh is the object, and 
must be considered in the feeding. 



HO PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

DUCK RAISING AS A BUSINESS 

Duck raising has become quite an industry of late 
years, and thousands are shipped weekly into the mar- 
kets Unlike geese eggs, duck eggs hatch well in incu- 
bators and the young are easily reared in brooders. 

For market, ducks should be killed when about ten 
weeks old, for they are more apt to lose than gain 
weight after that age. The Pekin is the most popular 
market duck, but recently the Indian Runner has been 
added on a number of farms to furnish a smaller sized 
carcass. 

In dressing ducks for market they are generally 
scalded, making it more easy to remove the feathers. 
Some farmers, however, dry-pick the feathers, but it re- 
quires quite an expert to do the work satisfactorily. 

The carcasses are shipped to market in barrels, it 
requiring about forty carcasses to fill a barrel. The best 
prices in market are paid from May ist to July; from 
July to September there is somewhat of a drop which 
remains unchanged until September to November, when 
good prices are again attained. At ten weeks of age, 
Pekin ducklings should weigh from ten to eleven pounds 
to the pair. 

It costs about five cents per pound to feed ducks up 
to ten weeks of age, two cents for help, two cents to 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. HI 

market, and three cents for eggs, insurance etc., making 
a total of twelve cents a pound. All received over that 
amount is profit. 

From February to May, duck eggs show the strong- 
est fertility. 

It takes about two weeks to fatten ducklings, for 
which a good food in ^qual parts of bran, cornmeal and 
middlings, and one-eighth beef scraps and Pratts Poul- 
try Regulator. Green ducks are shipped with heads on 
and undrawn. They are picked one-half of the neck, 
and to the first wing joint. 

White duck feathers sell generally in large city 
markets at from thirty-seven to thirty-nine cents per 
pound; colored ones at seventeen to twenty-three cents 
a pound. 



AYLESBURY DUCKS 

The Aylesbury is a very common form of duck. 
The plumage is entirely white. The bill is of a delicate 
pink or flesh color, and is well set into the full head, so 
as to form a line from the top of the head to the tip of 
the bill, which is very long. The neck also is long and 
fine ; body long, but broad, sometimes described as boat- 
shaped. The eyes are black, but very bright. The 
drake has one or two sharp curls in his tail. The legs 



112 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

are short and strong; well-webbed claws; color, orange 
or dark yellow. The drake weighs on an average seven 
pounds, a duck six; but for show purposes nine pounds 
is the attempted weight. The delicate color of the bill 
is said to have been originally due to the fine white 
gravel found near Aylesbury, England, where these 
birds originated — constant shoveling of the bills into 
this gravel keeping the bills very clean. Other sorts 
of fine gravel may accomplish the same purpose ; but a 
bird which is being raised for show must be kept out 
of the sun, which soon tans the bill. 



CAYUGA DUCKS. 



Cayuga Ducks are black all over, with lustrous green 
reflections, especially on head, neck and wings, there is 
also a tinge of claret brown or bright purple on the back 
and wings. In the drake the green is stronger than in the 
duck, and his bill is greenish yellow, with black tip, while 
hers is black, tipped with greenish slate. The color of 
the bill, however, varies with the seasons. In shape 
it starts with a downward curve, and ends with an up- 
ward one. The legs are orange color, but of a dusky 
shade. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



113 



CAM, DUCKS 

Call Ducks are named from the voice of the drake, 

which is like a low whistle. One variety has plumage 
like the Aylesbury, but with a yellow bill; another 
looks like the Rouen, which is described on page 114 ; the 
Call is, however, smaller than either. There is also a 
White Call, or decoy duck. All of these are too small 
to breed for the table, but are desirable as ornamental 
birds. 




PEKIN. AYLESBURY DRAKE. PEKIN. 

EAST INDIAN DUCKS 

The East Indian Duck is also known as the Buenos 
Aytes Black Duck. Their color is black, with rich 
green luster. They mate in pairs. The flesh is deli- 
cious, but the bird is small, and when shown weighs not 
more than four or five pounds. 



MUSCOVY DUCKS 

The Muscovy, or Musk Duck, sometimes called the 
Peruvian, has a noticeable musky odor. There is a 
great disproportion between the drake and the duck, the 



114 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



former weighing up to ten pounds, the latter not going 
over six. There are several varieties of plumage — 
white, black, blue and mottled. The face is bare, with 
fleshy bunches at the base of the bill and around the 
eyes. The drake is very fierce. The ducks are good 
layers, and the flesh is plenty and good. 



PEKIN DUCKS 

The Pekin is comparatively a new comer, having 
first been heard of in 1873. The shape is like that of a 
canoe, high at bow and stern; plumage, white; legs 
short, set very far back, and colored deep yellow or 
reddish-orange, which is also the color of the bill; head 
large; neck long. This bird is hardy; best of all for 
laying; grows fast; the eggs are usually fertile, and the 
breed crosses well with the Aylesbury. The position of 
the legs gives the bird an upright walk much like that 
of the Penguin. The standard weight for drake is eight 
pounds; duck, seven pounds. 



ROUEN DUCKS 

The Rouen Duck is very handsome, resembling the 
wild duck in plumage, but of larger size, weighing some- 
times eight or nine pounds, and the flesh is excellent. 
The drake is of a stately appearance, with a fine, long 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



115 



bill, Aylesbury shape, and in color yellow with a green- 
ish tinge, and a jet black bean at the tip. His head 
is green, with purple gloss extending down the neck, 
which is nearly encircled with a ring of pure white. 
The breast is a rich brown, the body gray, whitening at 
the tail. The back is green-black, and the curling tail 
feathers, dark green. Wings, gray-brown, with purple 
and white ribbon mark ; flight feathers, gray and brown ; 
legs, orange. The duck has a shorter bill, colored 
orange-brown, yellowing at the edges, and with a nearly 
black mark appearing towards the end ; her head is dark 
brown, with light brown lines on each side of the face; 
breast, dark brown penciled on light brown ground; on 
the back the pencilings are black or brown; wing also 
penciled black and gray on the shoulder; flight feathers 
gray, with ribbon mark. The Rouen is hardy and pro- 
lific, and if the ducklings are looked after for the first 
ten days, and only allowed a short swim each day until 
their feathers come, they can be reared without difficulty. 



INDIAN RUNNER DUCKS 

It is claimed that the Indian Runner ducks original- 
ly came from the West Indies, where they had been bred 
for years as egg producers. They were introduced into 
this country about fifteen years ago. 



116 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

In color they are fawn and white, being handsomely 
marked about the body and head. The bill is yellow, 
splashed with green when young, and green with black 
bean when fully developed; shanks and toes a deep 
bright yellow. The body is long and narrow and car- 
ried very erect; neck long and thin, with finely formed, 
long head. The standard weight is four and a half 
pounds for the drake, and the duck is a half pound 
lighter. Usually, however, they run over those weights. 
The quality of the meat is excellent, fine grained and 
juicy and well flavored. In ten weeks they can be grown 
to a remarkable size of three and a half to five pounds 
each. 

They are great layers, breeders in England claim- 
ing as high as 260 eggs in a season for individual layers. 
In this country they have records of from 175 to 200 
eggs per duck. 



OTHER VARIETIES OF DUCKS 

Mandarin, Carolina, Spotted Bill, Whistled, Pintail 
and Kasarka Ducks are also to be had when great vari- 
ety is wanted, but we will not take space to describe 
them. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 117 

GEESE 

Geese are easy to raise, and are an actual benefit to 
the land, if put on after the grain is gathered; cost 
little to keep, and sell well. To make a business of 
goose raising, however, requires a pond of reasonably 
good size as well as plenty of pasturage. The geese should 
have a house to themselves, apart from the other fowls ; 
well supplied with clean straw for making nests. The 
house should be easy to get in and out of. For setting, 
collect the eggs and keep them in bran, or in a rack, 
until the geese are ready to sit. Geese ought to be set 
early, as the hot weather is trying on the little ones. The 
time of incubation is from thirty to thirty-four days. 
The mother should have plenty of food and be sent on the 
pond daily, as moisture is important for the eggs. There 
is little difference in the raising of geese from the rules 
given for chickens. They are usually fattened for the 
market, and before killing should be put into the pond 
so as to clean the feathers, and afterwards put on clean 
straw, fasting for a day before being dispatched. 

Geese pair when sexes are equal, and while a young 
gander will often mate with three or four females, he 
usually has one particular favorite among the number 
whose nest he guards more jealously than those of his 
other mates, and after some years he is liable to grow so 



118 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

inattentive to all but the favorite that many infertile 
eggs will be the result. Geese seek mates in February, 
and any changing in mating should be made in the 
fall (not later than December) for best results. 

Geese live to a great age, and females are reliable 
and productive breeders for many years, but ganders 
of the domestic varieties are usually unreliable after 
seven to nine years old. An abdominal pouch of great 
size indicates great age. At one year old, geese are not 
sufficiently mature for breeding. They are better at the 
age of two or three years. 

The goose is a grazer. Its bill is provided with 
sharp, interlocking, serrated edges, designed to easily 
cut and divide vegetable tissues, and the tongue at the 
tip is covered with hard, hair-like projections pointing 
towards the throat, which serve to quickly and surely 
convey the bits of grass and leaves into the throat. 

A low, marshy field with a little upland does splen- 
did for geese. Ten geese will consume as much grass 
as a cow. At three months old, a gosling will dress from 
ten to twelve pounds, depending on the season of the 
year hatched, breed, etc. 

We describe two varieties, the Gray or Toulouse, 
and the White or Embden, which are the principal ones, 
African, Canadian, Chinese and Egyptian are the others. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 119 

GRAY OR TOULOUSE GEESE 

This breed is larger and handsomer than the white 
goose, and pays better to raise. The color is brown, with 
white on the under parts and tail coverts. The bill is 
orange-red in color; forehead, flat. 






WHITE OR EMBDEN GEESE 

The bird is pure white all over. It has a bright 

blue eyes ; the bill is flesh color. This goose is said to lay 
better than the gray, as well as earlier. 



SWANS 

The swan is, of course, a fancy fowl entirely, al- 
though the flesh of the cygnet is very good. The 
female lays from seven to nine eggs late in the winter, 
out of which five is a good hatch. The old birds forage 
for themselves, but will need some grain in the winter 
time. The cygnets can be fed by throwing meal on the 
water. Swans are ill-tempered birds, especially in the 
breeding season, and are best left pretty much to them- 
selves. 



VARIETIES OP SWANS 

There are three principal varieties of swans: the 

English White or Mute Swan; the Australian or Black 
Swan — both of which are sufficiently described by their 



120 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

names — and the Chili or Peruvian Swan, which has a 
black head and neck, with a white body. The White is 
the largest of the three. Swans are very long lived, 
and it is asserted that some have lasted a whole century. 



TURKEYS 

Turkey chicks die easily, but if they can be got 
through the first two months, or until they show or 
"shoot the red" on the neck and throat, they are from 
that time very hardy. Before that, wet or cold 
weather is fatal, unless the strictest care is observed. 
Dry soil is, therefore, one essential to success, and plenty 
of good shelter. One cock will take care of a whole 
yardful of hens, but it is best to limit him to a dozen, 
if chicks are to be raised. The hen usually lays about 
eighteen eggs, but if the first seven are given to a 
common hen, the turkey hen will have enough to take 
care of with the rest of her laying. The cock must be 
kept away from the nest, as he has a habit of destroying 
the eggs. The time of incubation is from twenty-six to 
twenty-nine days. The hen ought to be well fed, and 
supplied with food and water where she can reach it, 
just before the hatching is due, and must then be let 
alone until it is over. A good way to teach the stupid 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



121 



chicks how to feed is to put one or two ordinary hen's 
eggs under the mother about five days after the hen has 
been set, and the chicks, thus hatching at the same time 
with the young turkeys, will soon by example, teach them 
how to feed. They should never be forced to eat, and 
should not be given anything which will influence diar- 
rhoea. 

Young turkeys are subject to two special dangers: 
(i) a peculiar susceptibility to wet and (in less degree) 
to cold, and (2) a great liability to diarrhoea. For the 
first week the young bird should have little beyond hard- 
boiled egg, minced up with dandelion leaves and a small 
quantity of Pratts Poultry Regulator; a little bread crumb 
may be added. All through, dandelion leaves make far 
the best green food; but if they cannot be had, boiled 
onions, chopped fine, are the next best. As they get 
older, they are fed on good barley meal or oatmeal, 
and may also be given freely fresh curd squeezed dry 
from the whey; but buttermilk is about as likely to 
cause trouble as anything can be. 

The egg and Pratts Poultry Regulator for a week 
are of very great importance to prevent a slight tendency 
to diarrhoea from the first, which often sets in, and gets 
worse, and carries them off later on. While young 
turkeys require the utmost care when very young, 



122 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

and should be confined for a while, let it be known that 
they will not thrive unless they have the benefit of a 
range as they become larger. They are active foragers, 
and must have a chance to excercise that peculiarity ; but 
in so doing they will pick up the greater part of their 
food. Those who grow tobacco should always keep a 
flock of turkeys, as they are very destructive to the large 
green worms that do so much damage to that crop. 
If allowed a range, and fed on grain at night, they can 
easily be taught to come up at regular hours. 

Turkeys keep growing until they are three or four 
years old; but can be used for breeding when they are 
two years old. There are six principal varieties of tur- 
keys: White, Black, Bronze, Buff, Slate and Narragan- 
sett. The heaviest of them is the American Bronze, 
which is known to have reached thirty-two pounds, and 
the hen twenty-two. Turkeys are of great use in a vine- 
yard, where they are active and vigilant in destroying 
bugs and worms. 

Inbreeding must be avoided. A single union of a 
male and female fertilize all the eggs laid by that hen in 
that season. One gobbler can serve twenty or more 
hens. The turkey is not fully matured until two years 
old, is at its best for breeding at three years, and nearly 
as good at four. Don't breed from excessive weights. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



123 




GUINEA FOWI,S 

The Guinea hen is a good layer, but the eggs are of 
a wild, gamey flavor, and consequently not generally sold 
for table use. The Guinea is of a roving disposition. 
The hen starts laying early in April, and continues until 
October, during which time she will lay as many as ten 
dozen eggs. After July ist is the best time to hatch 
eggs, as the weather will be more settled. It requires 
twenty-eight days to hatch their eggs. 

The hen has a habit of hiding her nest, and that too 
in some obscure place. It can be discovered by following 
the sound of her voice, a shrill cry, which she gives as 
she leaves the nest after having laid. All the hens of 
a flock are apt to lay in the same nest. In removing 
these eggs they must not be touched with the hands, for 
if the hen discovers that her nest has been tampered with 
she will hunt another. Remove the eggs from the nest 
with a stick. 



124 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

There are two varieties of Guineas — the Pearl and 
the White. It is said that a cross between these two will 
produce a carcass that very closely resembles that of 
the English Grouse. 

Guineas pair. The young are delicate and tender 
until well feathered. The cock bird cares as much for 
the young as does the hen, guarding them during the day 
and hovering them at night. 

The male is larger than the female, more aggressive, 
and has different call. The hens make a noise sound- 
ing like : "come back, come back !" while the males give 
"Tick, tick !" Guineas do not scratch like other fowls do, 
and are therefore safe to have in the garden. They 
do not thrive in confinement. 



PIGEONS 

Squab raising is an industry that is fast growing, 
and which has proved to be an excellent adjunct to poul- 
try farming. The usefulness of the pigeon generally 
ends after seven or eight years' breeding. It is in its 
prime between the ages of three and five years. A bird 
of an average size requires about an ounce of food a 
day. The eggs hatch on the eighteenth day. The breed- 
ing season, as a rule, extends from March to September. 
The first egg is generally laid about two weeks after the 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



125 



nest has been made. The best prices for squab is during 
January, February and March. As soon as the feathers 
begin to appear on the young, the mother hovers them 
at night, and after they have fledged, no further atten- 
tion is paid them. The young pigeon attains its full 
growth at about five or six weeks of age. Should the 
mother hen die while the young are but a few weeks old, 
the father takes charge of the nest, feeding and nursing 
the young as regular as did the mother. As a general 
thing, the hen lays her first egg between five and six 
o'clock in the evening, then she skips a day, and about 
two or three o'clock the following afternoon adds the 
second egg. Contrary to general belief, the pigeon is 
not destructive to gardens. Its beak is like that of a 
crow, to enable it to dig with, and its feet are unlike that 
of a chicken, consequently it cannot scratch. It walks 
over the surface of the ground and picks up what is in 
plain sight, which principally consists of weed seeds. 
When pigeons are mated they remain true, divide 
labor, and are ever in each other's company. The older 
the male the more fatherly he becomes. At a day old, 
pigeons are called "peppers," at ten days old "squeakers," 
and at three weeks old "squealers." A squab grows very 
fast the first twelve hours, and very rapidly after the 
third day. As a rule, the male selects the nest and en- 



126 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

deavors to persuade his mate to join him. It costs about 
fifty-two cents a year to feed each breeding bird. The 
Homer, Carneaux, Swiss Mondaine, Hen, Dragoon and 
Runt pigeons are used for squab raising, more generally 
in crossing. Large and successful pigeon raisers 
throughout the United States are daily using Pratts 
Poultry Regulator and find that it pays for its cost many 
times over. 



PEAFOWLS 

The Pea-fowl is a striking bird, familiar in appear- 
ance to every one from its kingly crest and magnificent 
spread of tail, which, by the way, is not a true tail, but 
a development of the tail coverts or side feathers. They 
are wild in their habits, and the hen hides her nest, lay- 
ing from five to nine eggs usually, but sometimes more. 
The incubation period corresponds with that of the 
turkey nearly, being twenty-eight to thirty days. The 
hen cares for her brood until they are six months old, 
and they want special protection, with animal food. 
While this bird is ornamental entirely, its flesh when not 
over a year old is very good. One cock will look after 
three hens. Besides the ordinary variety, there are the 
White, the Pied, the Javan and the Black- Winged. The 
most interesting of these is the Javan, which is much 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



127 



larger than the common variety, and sheds his long tail 
at the close of the breeding season, appearing at other 
times with a green tail with gold reflections, very hand- 
somely barred with whitish brown. He has a very high 
crest, is blue around the eyes, and his neck feathers look 
like scales. 




128 




PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 




PART II. 



DESCRIPTIONS OK BREEDS 



For better understanding of the different breeds, 
the Pratt Food Co. publishes several official charts of 
fowls, correctly illustrated as to feathering, coloring, etc. 
See coupon in every package of Pratts Regulators. 



ANCONAS 

Are similiar in size and shape to the Leghorns. 
These are fairly good layers of medium size eggs. The 
color of plumage is black and white, evenly mottled, 
shanks and toes yellow. 



ANDAI,USIANS 

The hardiest of the Spanish breeds; very useful 
and handsome. Sometimes known as Blue Spanish, by 
reason of color, which is slate-blue, laced in some cases 
with a darker shade. The male bird's plumage is dark 
blue, or nearly black, on the neck and back. The face is 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 129 

bright red ; the ears, white. The body is small and com- 
pact; the legs, clean and longish; head fine, with long 
neck; comb large, upright and single, falling to one side 
in the case of the hen. Tail feathers and neck hackles 
very dark blue, almost black. The most troublesome 
faults are feathers of other colors among the slate. An- 
dalusians are good layers and non-sitters. The eggs are 
large and white. The birds make a good table fowl when 
young. They are hardy and thrive on dry soil. Select 
for size and erect carriage. 



BANTAMS 

Bantams exist in great variety, and are artificial 
birds entirely. Their beauty is their chief value. They 
are useful, however, in the gardens, to keep down slugs 
and insects. Their eggs are tempting to invalids, and 
may be easily cooked by pouring boiling water over them. 
Bantam chicks need more animal food than other breeds, 
and should be kept dry, with extra care during the first 
fortnight. In general, feed scantily to keep down the 
size. 

GAME BANTAMS 

The hardiest breed of Bantams. Points exactly the 
same as in Game fowls, from which they originated. 
Very courageous and strong. Varieties are Birchen, 



130 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

Black, Black-Breasted Red, Brown Red, Golden Duck- 
Winged, Red Pyle, Silver Duck-Wing and White. 



JAPANESE BANTAMS 

The Japanese Bantam proper has a single and up- 
right bright red comb; short body; clean, short legs; 
upright or squirrel tail. The varieties are : Black-Tailed, 
White and Black. 



COCHIN BANTAMS 

This is a very rare and remarkable breed, deriving 
its name from the fact that the first pair was stolen from 
the summer palace at Pekin. The Buff Pekin is an exact 
copy in miniature of the Buff Cochin fowl, for description 
of which see page 127. The other varieties are Part- 
ridge, White and Black. 



SEBRIGHT BANTAMS 

The plumage of the Sebright Bantam is very com- 
pact, and every feather is laced all around the edge with 
black. The comb is a rose of bright red, with spike be- 
hind, pointing upwards. Face, red; eye, bay color; ear, 
white or bluish white ; shanks, blue. The cock is a fighter 
and full of conceit — throwing his head back nearly to his 
tail, drooping his wings half-way down his legs, and fid- 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 131 

geting about as if always spoiling for a quarrel. In the 
Golden Sebright the ground color of the feathers is a rich 
golden yellow ; in the Silver Sebright the ground is pure 
silvery white. The lacing, in both cases, is clear black. 



BI,ACK AND WHITE BANTAMS 

In the Black Bantam the plumage is perfectly black 
and lustrous. In appearance the bird is simply a diminu- 
tive Black Hamburgh, with a full and well-arched tail, 
short, clean legs, colored black or blue; bright red rose 
comb ; face, red ; ears, white. 

The White Bantam is like the Black in all points 
except the color of the plumage, which, instead of being 
black, is pure white. Red ear lobes are preferable to 
white, setting off the spotless white of the feathers to 
great advantage. 

BRAHMA BANTAMS 

are of two varieties, Light and Dark and Polish Ban- 
tams, White-Crested White and Buff Laced. 



BRAHMAS 

This is a favorite breed of Asiatic origin, and full of 
merit. The principal peculiarity is the comb, which looks 
like three combs laid side by side, the middle one being 



132 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

considerably the tallest. Each of the three should be 
straight and regular; and the triple comb is just as appar- 
ent in the hen, although smaller than in the case of the 
cock. The neck hackle of the cock is very full, and flows 
gracefully over the shoulders, which are flat and wide. 
The saddle rises higher, merging into the tail, which 
is nearly upright, and spreads considerably. The breast 
is full and deep. The plumage is not so fluffy as that of 
the Cochin, and the bird has a squarish appearance. As 
to leg feathers, see the description of Cochins, which will 
apply also to Brahmas in this respect. The size is very 
much the same; but some Brahmas have been known to 
weigh seventeen or eighteen pounds. 



I,IGKT BRAHMAS 

The ruling color in Light Brahmas is white, but, in 
the case of the cock, the hackle is striped plainly with 
black. The leg feathers are white, mixed with black or 
gray, and the tail feathers are black. The hen has a 
white fluff ; but she is marked black on the hackle and be- 
tween the shoulders. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 133 

When not too heavily fed on carbonaceous material, 
such as corn, the Light Brahma hen proves to be an ex- 
cellent layer, her egg is of large size and dark brown in 
color. They are especially recommended as winter lay- 
ers. The breed is very hardy, and of a quiet disposition ; 
they can be enclosed by a two- foot wire netting fence. 
At eight to ten weeks old the young make very desirable 
broilers, and at six months old are strictly first-class 
roasting fowls. 



DARK BRAHMAS 

The head of the Dark Brahma cock is white; the 
hackle is also white, striped with black. Back, white, 
marked with black between the shoulders; saddle, white, 
with black stripes; breast, fluff, and underparts deep 
black; tail coverts fill up gradually with green-black as 
they near the tail, which is green-black with a fine gloss. 
The wings are white on the shoulders, with traces of 
black ; the coverts cross the wing in the shape of a bar 
of glossy green-black. Nothing but clear white or dense 
black is found in the perfect bird. In the hen we find 
white and black-penciled hackles. The other plumage is 



134 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

light iron gray, with dark pencilings. The breast is pen- 
ciled like the back, likewise the leg feathers and the fluff. 



BRAHMAS FOR BRIBING 

Birds for breeding must be chosen with especial 
reference to the points which are sought to be brought 
out in the strain. The cock must have a perfectly black 
breast. All the under parts must be dense, and the hackles 
pure in color. The hackles of the hen should be sharply 
and darkly striped. In breeding for pullets, let the hen 
have dark hackles, feathers well penciled and not streaky ; 
choose a cock bred from just that sort of a hen. He must 
have broad, well-marked black stripes in neck and saddle 
hackles, and will not be hurt by a white spot on end of 
breast feathers, or a whitish edging to the fluff, as is 
often found. In both breeds of Brahmas ear lobes are 
large and red, falling below wattles ; head and beak short ; 
expression, lively; legs yellow, the tint being towards 
orange in the dark breed. 



QUALITIES OF BRAHMAS 

Brahmas are paying fowls. They lay wonderfully, 
are good sitters and mothers, are docile, thrive on any 
soil except a very wet one, do not need large Runs, and 
will not fly a three- foot fence. The flesh is good, and is 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 135 

deep on the breast. The pure breed is not very desir- 
able on the table if over six months old ; but crossing with 
the Houdan, Crevecceur, or Dorking, will produce large, 
hardy birds, and an abundance of good flesh. 






THE ORPINGTONS 

The Orpington breeds were originated by the late 
William Cook, of Orpington, Kent County, England, 
from which they derive their name. They were intro- 
duced into this country about fifteen years ago. The 
varieties consist of the Rose Comb and Single Comb 
Blacks, the Rose Comb and Single Comb Whites, the Rose 
Comb and Single Comb Buffs, the Rose Comb and Single 
Comb Diamond Jubilee, and the Rose Comb and Single 
Comb Spangled. It is claimed for the several varieties 
that they are not only excellent layers but produce a 
superior carcass both as a broiler and as a roasting fowl. 
The class show deep bodies, full, heavy breasts and short, 
thick thighs. Taking after the English fashion their 
skin is white, the shanks a sort of pinkish-white. In 
weight they run as high as ten and a half pounds for 
cocks, and eight and a half for hens. 



136 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

COCHINS OR SHANGHAIS 

The Cochin, which is also an Asiatic bird, has a 
remarkable history. The birds first appeared in England 
about 1847, and at once attracted great attention. In 
fact, they became a perfect craze, and the prices paid 
were enormous. Cochins were presumed to be perfect 
in all respects; but a better acquaintance with them, and 
perhaps the natural effect of such extraordinary first 
favor, has caused them to lose repute. 



SHOW COCHINS 

Weight, eleven pounds for the cock; eight and one- 
half for the hen; neck, short; hackle flows wide over 
a very short and broad back, rising abruptly into a broad 
saddle, in the case of the cock, and a full cushion in 
the hen, in which her tail is almost buried. In fact, it 
looks as if there were no back at all. Body, short and 
deep; legs very short, and set wide; breast, broad 
and full ; shanks feathered down the outside to the ends of 
the toes; thighs well covered with soft fluff; tail, small 
and low; head, small and neat; comb, single, small and 
regular; ear lobes, red; bay or dark red eyes, general 
appearance lumpy. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 137 

BUFF COCHINS 

Buff Cochins range in color from very pale buff to 
dark cinnamon. The plumage should be uniform al- 
ways; but in the cock the tail is darkest, with perhaps a 
little black in it. Legs, yellow or with a tinge of red. 



PARTRIDGE COCHINS 

In the case of cock Partridge, the breast and under 
parts are black; the head, hackle and saddle, orange-red, 
with black stripes ; tail, black ; wings, red and bay, barred 
across the middle with bright green-black. In the hens, 
the hackle is also orange striped, but the other plumage 
is a light brown ground with dark brown pencilings ; legs, 
dark yellow. 



WHITE AND BI.ACK COCHINS 

White Cochins are perfect only when every feather 
is pure white, and the shanks clear yellow. Black 
Cochins are uniformly black, including the legs. 



138 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

QUALITIES OP COCHINS 

Some condemn Cochins utterly, except for the pur- 
poses of exhibition; but they are good layers, and are 
noted sitters, although they are too often broody when 
they ought to be caring for their chicks. They are 
hardy and easily raised, and make reasonably good eating 
when young. They fatten quickly, and must not be 
overfed. They are not much of a table fowl, unless 
crossed with the Dorking or Crevecoeur. 



CREVECCEUR 



This well-known fowl is of French origin. It is 
very short in the legs, especially the hen. The cock 
averages seven and one-half to eight pounds in weight, 
but has been known to reach ten. These birds are very 
quiet, and bear confinement contentedly. They are full 
and compact in form; comb, in shape of two horns, and 
a crest red in color ; throat, bearded and whiskered ; plu- 
mage, black; legs, black and clean; face, red. The eggs 
are large, and the flesh of the fowl exceedingly fine. 
These birds are delicate, but will thrive if given plenty 
of run. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



139 



DORKINGS 

The Dorking is an English bird, and a great favorite 
at its home. It has a deep, full body, with plump, pro- 
truding breast, especially in the cock; back and breast, 
broad; general appearance, square and plump, but com- 
pact; legs, white, or with slight rosy tinge; there is a 
double or fifth toe, the spur turning upward. Wattles, 
large and pendent ; short, taper neck ; full hackle. 



COLORED DORKINGS 

The Colored Dorking weighs considerably more 
than the other varieties. The color varies, the cock's 
breast being in some cases black and in others speckled, 
With color on the back and sides, and hackles lighter or 
darker. The hen is brown or black, speckled with gray, 
or a darker color. The comb may be either single or 
double. When single, it is large and perfectly erect. 



WHITE DORKINGS 

White Dorkings are usually smaller than the colored. 
The plumage is pure white, although in the cock there 
is a tendency to cream or straw color on back and wings. 
The comb is double or rose comb, broad in front and 
raised to a point behind. White Dorkings look smaller 
than they really are, and in fact weigh more than a Silver 
Gray of apparently larger size. 



140 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

SII/VER-GRAY DORKINGS 

In the Silver Gray the cock's breast is pure black; 

tail and larger coverts black, with metallic luster; head, 
hackle, back and saddle, silver white ; wing, white, barred 
with black across the middle. The hen has a salmon-red 
breast, shading off to gray at the thighs ; head and neck, 
silvery gray with black stripes; wings, gray; tail, dark 
gray, shading into dark brown or black inside; back, 
silver gray, or light gray. This bird is very handsome, 
and has a clean and high-bred appearance. 



QUALITIES OF DORKINGS 

As a table fowl the Dorking is unsurpassed. The 

meat is fine and abundant, especially on the breast and 
wings. The hen is a good sitter and mother, but not 
much of a layer, except when young. The breed is deli- 
cate, and needs dry ground and unlimited range. Dor- 
kings should not be hatched too early, as damp and cold 
weather is dangerous to the chicks. 



GAME 

Game fowls have changed in appearance since the 
days when they were bred for righting purposes. As at 
present recognized the head of the cock has a snaky ap- 
pearance, with a long but strong bill, prominent eyes, and 
fine, smooth red skin. The ears are red; the neck, long; 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 141 

hackles, very short, without spread; the back, flat and 
wide, narrowing gradually towards the tail ; breast, broad 
and full; stern, narrow and well held up; the tail is a 
"whip," being narrow and short ; wings, large and strong ; 
legs and thighs, long; shanks, firmly set and cleaned 
scaled ; toes, flat on the ground, and spurs low ; the body 
feels hard to the touch. The hen may be described in 
pretty much the same language. 



B^ACK-BREASTED RED GAME 

In the Black-Breasted Reds the cock is described 
thus : Neck hackle, bright orange ; saddle, about the same ; 
back, red; breast, thighs and under parts, deep black; 
tail and wing bar, black. In the hen the hackle is gold, 
with black stripes; breast, reddish fawn or salmon red, 
lightening to gray on the thighs ; wings, back and upper 
tail feathers, brown, with fine partridge marks; legs of 
both cock and hen are olive or willow color, and the eyes 
are bright red. 



DUCKWING GAME 

In the Golden Duckwing the face of the cock is red 
and the head white, but lower down the hackle runs to a 
straw color. The saddle is also straw color or yellow ; the 



142 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



wing bow, shoulder coverts and back, are a light orange 
or gold; a blue-black bar crosses the wing; the breast, 
tail and under parts are black. In the hen the head is 
silver gray, and the hackle is the same, with black 
stripes ; the breast is salmon color, lightening to gray on 
the thighs; other plumage, dark gray, penciled over sil- 
ver gray, giving a silvery or frosted effect. Legs in both, 
willow; eyes, red and bright. The Silver Duckwing is 
very similar, substituting silvery white for the straw color 
in the cock, and lighter shades in the hen. 

BROWN-RED GAME 

Brown-Reds have a glossy green-black for a general 
color; on the breast each feather is laced with lemon or 
gold; hackles, lemon color with black stripes; back and 
shoulder coverts, lemon; legs of both sexes, very dark 
willow ; eyes, dark brown ; faces, deep purple. 



PYI,E GAME 

Pyle Game is like Black-Breasted Red, reading 

white instead of black in the description on page 141. 
Legs, yellow or light willow. Other Games are Birchen, 
White and Black. 



ORIENTAL GAME 

are White and Cornish Indian Games, Black-Breasted 

Red, Malay and Black Sumatra. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 143 

QUALITIES OF GAME 

Game fowls are noted as layers, except the Black- 
Reds, and the eggs are small. They are good sitters and 
mothers, and the flesh is fine. Crossed with Dorkings, 
the result is a very satisfactory table fowl. Being so fond 
of fighting, it is the custom to dubb the cocks — that is, 
cut off their comb and wattles close to the head — when 
they are about six months old, otherwise they will pun- 
ish each other severely before they can be separated. 

HAMBURGHS 

Hamburghs are small in size; have handsome plu- 
mage ; brilliant comb, square in front, with upright spike 
behind ; bright red face and blue legs. 

SIIVVER-PENCIXED HAMBURGHS 

Silver-Penciled Hamburghs are small but graceful, 

the cock especially carrying himself very vainly, bear- 
ing his tail high, with a pretty curve; comb, full of 
points, and no hollow in center ; ears, white. Pure white 
is the predominating color; but the cock's tail is black, 
with green glossing; side and sickle feathers, black, 
sharply edged with white; wing coverts sometimes 
marked with black, with a faint narrow bar across the 
wing, which is edged with black. The hen's hackle is 
pure white, the rest of the body white, with each feather 
penciled across the bars of black; tail feathers penciled 
in the same way. 



144 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

GOI,D-PENCIIVED HAMBURGS 

Same as Silver-Penciled except that ground color is 
not white, but golden bay. Cock's tail, black, with bronze 
edging on sickle and side feathers, or bronzed all over. 



GOI,D AND SILVER-SPANGLED HAMBURGHS 

The distinctive marking of the Spangled Ham- 
burghs consists of a black spangle or moon at end of each 
feather. In the Gold- Spangled the ground color is golden 
bay; hackle feathers, streaked with greenish black; tail, 
black ; spangles, large and regular. Cock has two bars of 
regular spots across wing. In the Silver-Spangled Ham- 
burgh ground color is silvery white, and tail differs from 
the Golden in hen, being silver white with black moons 
at tips. In both sexes spangles on wing covert feathers 
form two regular black bars across wings. 



WHITE AND B1VACK HAMBURGS 

White Hamburgh is pure white, and Black Ham- 
burgh glossy black all over. Are apt to be larger than 
other varieties. Have characteristic rose comb, blue or 
lead-colored legs, and bright red face common to Ham- 
burghs. 



QUALITIES OF HAMBURGHS 

Hamburghs are non-sitters, but good layers, except 

the Gold-Spangled. They are very erratic and seek a 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 145 

wide range, flying almost any height fence. Eggs large, 
especially in the case of the black variety ; flesh, good, but 
scant, by reason of the small size of the bird. 



HOUDANS 

Houdans are a French breed, but are very much like 
Dorkings, with large and compact body, shortish legs, and 
fifth toe. The bones are, however, smaller. Plumage is 
mixed or speckled black and white. Wattles nearly con- 
cealed by whiskers; comb, very distinctive, looking like 
two parted book leaves, with a feathered crest behind it. 



QUALITIES OF HOUDANS 

Houdans are hardy and lay well. Very fine as a 
table fowl. Eggs very likely to be fertile from the great 
activity of the cock, who requires a well-stocked harem. 



JAVAS 

Javas are similar in size and other respects to Ply- 
mouth Rocks. The cocks weigh 9^2 pounds and hens 
7^2 pounds. The varieties are Black and Mottled. 






I,A Fl,ECim 

Another French breed, but resembling the Spanish. 
The body and legs are large and long, the plumage close 



146 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

laid and dense, legs slate color, plumage black with green 
reflections, comb two-horned, like the Crevecoeur, with 
two small points also in front of the nostrils, and bright 
red in color. Wattles are bright red, and hang down very 
long; ear lobes dead white and very large, sometimes 
meeting under throat; carriage bold and smart. 



QUALITIES OF I,A FI,ECHE 

The La Fleche is a good layer, eggs large and white, 
non-sitter; flesh fine and white, but legs dark. Capons 
are produced from this breed in France. 



LANGSHANS 

Langshans are a Chinese importation, and sup- 
posed to be related to or derived from Cochins, although 
this has been denied. Langshans are large birds, with 
long legs feathered, tail well furnished and carried high, 
scanty fluff, breast full and prominent and good outline, 
plumage close and glossy. Varieties are Black and White. 



QUALITIES 0F LANGSHANS 

Langshans are good on the table and hens lay well, 
but are not greatly disposed to sit. Make good mothers, 
however., and the fowl is hardy and easily raised. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 147 

LEGHORNS 

Leghorns are somewhat small in body, but very 

compact, and of sprightly and pleasing appearance. Have 
single combs, quite large, deeply toothed, and running 
down over the back of the head. The rose comb is also 
seen in the brown and white varieties. The wattles are 
long and pendent; ear lobes, white; beak, yellow; legs, 
same color, and clean ; hackles, full ; tail of cock, sweep- 
ing. The hen's comb falls in a single fold to one side. 



WHITE LEGHORNS 

White Leghorn's legs are bright yellow, face red, 
plumage entirely white ; comb either rose or single. Brown 
Leghorns much like white in shape and size, but plumper. 



BROWN LEGHORNS 

The hackles of cock are golden bay with black strip- 
ings; back is red with a stripe of brighter bay on each 
feather ; breast is black and full ; wings dark red, barred 
with bay and green black; tail, black and quite long. 
Hen has light brown breast; yellow neck hackle, striped 
with brown ; back, brown, slightly penciled. 



BLACK LEGHORN 

There is also a Black Leghorn, in which the plum- 
age is black; the beak and legs are, of course, dark. 
The other varieties are Buff and Silver Duck- Wing. 



148 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

BUFF LEGHORNS 

Similar in size to the White variety, only having a 
rich, deep, clean buff color. Excellent layers. 



QUALITIES OF LEGHORNS 

Leghorns are astonishingly good layers, especially 
the Whites. Are hardy and precocious, laying and breed- 
ing early. As a table bird they are not notable. 



MALAYS 

Malays are of Asiatic breed, but are very different 
from Cochins. They stand up straight, and are very long 
in neck and legs. The wings protrude at shoulders, and 
are carried high. The body narrows towards the tail, 
which is small, and that of cock droops. Viewed in pro- 
file, the neck, back and tail mlake up three convex curves, 
descending at an angle. Shanks and thighs are large. 
Feathers are narrow and glossy, and sit close. The col- 
oring varies, white being found, but the most usual being 
like the Black-Breasted Red Game. Beak is long and 
hooked, head also long; comb, lumpy; wattles small, with 
small deaf ears ; eyes, white or yellow ; overhanging eye- 
brows; head and throat snaky looking; legs, yellow and 
clean, with very large scales. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 149 

QUALITIES OF MALAYS 

Malays need plenty of run and vegetable food, as 
they are addicted to feather eating. Are hardy when 
grown, but delicate as chicks. Make a good table fowl, 
and cross well with Dorking, Spanish or English Game. 
They do not lay well, and are exceedingly quarrelsome 
and ferocious, especially in confinement. 



MINORCAS-BI.ACK AND WHITE 

Minorcas, sometimes called Red-Faced Spanish, look 
much like the Black Spanish, but with red faces, larger 
combs and shorter legs. Also resemble Leghorns, but 
have a larger comb. There are White and Black Minor- 
cas, but latter are most common. Plumage is metallic 
black and very handsome. They are larger than the 
White-Faced Spanish, and cock will weigh eight or nine 
pounds. Ear lobes are white, the legs clean. 



QUALITIES OF MINORCAS 

Minorcas are very good layers, are precocious and 
hardy, and do not sit. Thrive well under all conditions. 



POLAND OR POLISH 

Polands, or Polish fowls, probably include Creve- 
coeur, Houdans, and perhaps La Fleche, and those de- 



150 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



scribed below. They comprise all varieties of tufted or 
crested fowls; comb is of a two-horned character, but 
nearly invisible in the Polish breeds. 



WHITE-CRESTED BI,ACK POWSH 

The most commonly known variety of Polish is the 
White-Crested Black. Cock carries himself boldly and 
gracefully, with neck thrown back. Comb almost invisi- 
ble; wattles, bright red and full; ear lobes, pure white; 
body plump and short ; legs short, and black or lead-blue 
in color. Plumage, black, with bright reflections on tail, 
saddle and hackle. Crest, theoretically, pure white, but 
hardly ever found without some black feathers ; in shape 
the crest is regular, large and full. Cock weighs five to 
six pounds. Hen's color is a rich black, her crest white 
and globular. She weighs four to five pounds and is 
plump and compact. This breed is rather delicate. 



OTHER VARIETIES OF POLISH 

Other varieties are Golden, Silver, White, Buff-Laced. 
Bearded Golden, Bearded Silver and Bearded White. 



QUALITIES OF POLISH 

Polish fowls are quite hardy, but subject to colds, and 
must be carefully sheltered in wet weather. They lay 
well and are non-sitters. Excellent on the table. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 151 

PLYMOUTH ROCKS, BARRED WHITE AND BUFF 

Plymouth Rocks are a popular American breed, 
which probably originated in a cross of Dominique and 
White Cochin. The comb is straight and single and the 
head is fine. The legs are without feathers, and bright 
yellow in color, which is also the color of the beak. The 
shape is an improvement on the Cochin, but much re- 
sembling it. The plumage is pure cuckoo gray, barred 
with dark bands of almost black or blue gray, broad or 
narrow, according to the taste of the fancier. There is 
also a white variety, in which the plumage is pure white. 
The Buff variety is a clear buff, uniform in shade except 
the tail, which is deeper in color. 



QUALITIES OF PLYMOUTH ROCKS 

Plymouth Rocks are good layers of small eggs ; good 
table fowls ; good sitters and mothers ; hardy, thriving on 
any sort of soil, and bear confinement well. They grow 
more rapidly and earlier than any other breed. 



REDCAPS 

Redcaps are a large type of Hamburg, with a large 
rose comb. Cock weighs 7^ pounds and the hen 6j4 
pounds. They are good table fowls and fair layers. 



152 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

RHODE ISLAND REDS 

This breed is springing to the front. It originated 
on farms in the State of Rhode Island, where it came to 
notice on account of its remarkable laying and excellent 
table qualities. In size the breed compares with the Ply- 
mouth Rocks. There are two varieties, the Single Comb 
and the Rose Comb. They are very hardy fowls. 

SILKIES AND OTHER BREEDS 

Other breeds are Silkies, a fancy breed, the feathers 

of which hang loose like fibers of silk or wool. The 
skin is very dark. Rumpless fowl, have entire absence 
of tails. Black Sumatras are at the present time very 
seldom bred. Frizzles are a bird with feathers turned 
back towards the head. Two new breeds lately intro- 
duced are the Buckeyes and American Reds. American 
Reds are similar to Rose Comb Rhode Island Reds. 



SULTANS 
Sultans are probably a variety of Polish fowls, but 
differ very much in appearance from the varieties above 
described. They are very small, the cock weighing only 
four to five pounds. The plumage and crest are white; 
legs short, and feathered down to the toes; thighs well 
furnished and vulture hocked ; tail full and flowing ; muff 
and whiskers around the throat. The crest is more erect 
than in the other varieties, and the comb is two small 
spikes in front of the crest. Legs whitish, and furnished 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 153 

with a fifth toe. Sultans are favorite pets, and present 
a quaint and pleasing appearance. 



BI^ACK SPANISH 

The only recognized breed of Spanish at the shows 
is the White-Faced Black Spanish, other varieties hav- 
ing no settled names. The leading point of the breed is 
the white face, the quantity and quality of which de- 
termine the rank of the bird. It should be wide, deep 
and high, should arch at the top, coming as near as may 
be to the bottom of the comb; extend sideways to the 
ear lobes and wattles, and meet under the throat. It 
should also be fine and smooth. Ears white, large and 
pendulous; comb very large, and colored bright ver- 
milion; the cock's must be perfectly upright, the hen's 
falls to one side. The comb should be fine, although 
large, and the toothing should be very even. The cock 
has a very stately carriage, with protruding breast, and 
tail held up, but not forward. Plumage jet black, with 
glossy reflections; sickle feathers, fully developed and 
perfect. The hen is equally black, but less glossy; body 
heavy and plump ; legs long, and blue or dark lead color. 

QUALITIES OF SPANISH 

Spanish fowls are very delicate as chicks, and at 
all ages are susceptible to wet weather, especially when 
moulting. They lay well, but are poor table birds. 



154 PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 

WYANDOTTES 

An American bird of six varieties — Golden, Silver, 

White, Black, Buff, Columbian and Partridge. They are 
large, rose-combed, yellow-legged (clean) ; plumage laced 
or striped, except in the white, which is white all over. 
The Wyandotte is a very handsome and hardy bird. They 
lay well, grow fast, and are a good table fowl — in fact, 
an ideal fowl for both fancier and farmer. 



COLUMBIAN WYANDOTTE 

A new variety of Wyandotte was a few years ago 
placed before the poultry world, and is rapidly forging 
its way to the front. It is known as the Columbian 
Wyandotte. In plumage it is like the Light Brahma; in 
shape, style of head, comb and shanks, it is purely Wyan- 
dotte ; and in size, activity and wonderful laying qualities, 
it is Leghorn. It is a most valuable combination breed. 
Records kept by a well known breeder, who breeds them 
along with other varieties, shows that the Columbians are 
more destined to remain in the 200-egg class than any of 
our American breeds. As chicks and fowls they are very 
plump. Their breasts are round like that of a squab- 
pigeon. They are of a more nervous disposition than are 
any of our American breeds, in which they closely re- 
semble the Leghorn. As sitters and mothers they can- 
not be surpassed. 



INDEX. 



Page 

Age of fowl, judging 24 

" for breeding. 102 

American Reds - 152 

Anconas 126 

Andalusians 128 

Anemia - 78 

Animal food 3 1 

Apoplexy - 7^ 

Asthenia - • 7§ 

Atrophy 7^ 

Aylesbury Ducks m 

Bantams 129 

" Game 129 

" Japanese 130 

" Cochin 130 

" Sebright 130 

" Black and White. 131 

" Brahsna 131 

Barred Plymouth Rocks... 152 

Beginner, advice to 9 

Black Bantams 131 

Black Cochins 137 

Black Leghorns 148 

Black Minorcas 150 

Black Rot 79 

Black Spanish, description. 154 
Black Spanish, qualities ..155 



Page 

Brahmas, for chick stock.. 25 
description of... 131 

" light 132 

dark 133 

for breeding ...134 

qualities of 134 

Breeding for exhibition . . . 101 

marking 103 

Breeds, descriptions 128 

Broken Bones 80 

Bronchitis 80 

Brooders, artificial 52 

(illustration) ... 52 
(cut) outdoor . . 53 
(home-made) . . 54 
desc, home-made 55 

fireless 57 

running of $7 

Brown Leghorns 148 

Building the House 13 

Bumble-foot 80 

Call Ducks 1 13 

Canker 81 

Capons and Caponizing ... 74 

Catarrh, or Cold 81 

Cats 89 

Cayuga Ducks 112 



156 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



Page 

Chicken-house. (See House) 

Chicken Pox 82 

Chicks, stock for raising. . . 25 
room required .... 25 

" hatching of 45~47 

" rearing of 58 

" feeding and food.58,63 

" water 60,64 

"ColdMother"(cut)65 

Cholera 82 

Cleanliness, in house 10 

" in runs ... .11, 21 

in brooder ... 55 

Cleansing of fowls 106 

Clipping wings 21 

Clover as food 33 

Cochins, description 136 

" when undesirable. 24 
" as brood hens ... 25 
" crossing for table 

fowl 25 

" as mothers 40 

" qualities of 138 

Cochin or Pekin Bantams . . 130 

Cochins, Buff 137 

Partridge 137 

White and Black. 137 
Cock not always needed... 23 

Cockerels, separation 33 

caponizing ..... 74 
resemblance ... 103 
"Cold Mother," description 

and cut 65 

Colds 82 



Page 
Columbian Wyandottes ...154 

Constipation $3 

Consumption 84 

Corns 84 

Coops for little chicks 61 

(cut) barrel coop.. 60 
(cut) with open shed 61 

Crevecceur, description 138 

Crop bound 84 

Crossing, in general 102 

of Cochins 25 

Crows 90 

Dark Brahmas 133 

Decoy ducks 113 

Diarrhea 85 

Diphtheria 86 

Disinfectants 82 

Diseases of poultry 74 

Dogs 90 

Dorkings, cross with Cochin 25 
" description of ..139 

" qualities of 140 

" Colored 139 

White 139 

" Silver Gray ....140 
Draughts must be avoided. 10 
Dressing poultry for market 73 

Dropsy 87 

" of feet 87 

Dry Feeding 29 

Ducks 108 

" raising 109, no 

" Indian Runner 115 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



157 



Pgge 

Dust bath for sitting hen.. 42 
Dysentery 87 

East Indian Ducks 113 

Eczema 88 

Egg-bound 88 

Egg-eating 98 

Eggs, fresh and stale 7, 40 

" how to buy 45 

" selecting stock ...23, 40 
" how to get in winter 26 
" how production is 

hindered 3 2 

" shell-making material 37 

" gathering 39. 68 

" hatching 40 

" how to set 44 

" breaking in nest 42 

" testing 46 

" for market 66 

" tray (cut) 68 

" box for shipping 

(cut) 69 

Embden Geese 119 

Enemies 89 

Exercise, importance of 35 

Exhibition, breeding for...ioi 
preparing for ..106 

rearing for 105 

" hatching for ... 105 

Exposure, best for house. . 10 

** shed 12 

Farmer should keep poultry.7-8 



Page 

Fattening, when to avoid . . 33 
when desirable. . 70 

process of . 70 

Feather-eating 98 

" pulling 98 

Feathers, clipping 21 

for selling pur- 
poses 39 

Feeding of adult fowls 27 

" change of food 29 

" trays (cut) 30 

" improper 32 

" of pullets 33 

" of sitting hen 44 

of chicks 58 

Fencing 21 

Fireless brooder 57 

Floor, material and con- 
struction 14, 15, 20 

Food, varieties 29 

" soft 28 

Food, grain 28, 30 

" meal, bran, middlings 29 

" animal 22, 31 

" vegetable 32 

" milk and curd 35 

Food, clover 35 

" for sitting hen 41 

" for little chicks 63 

" for turkeys 121 

Frizzles 152 

Frost bites 90 

Game fowls, description. . .140 
qualities of. .143 



158 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



Page 

Game, Black-Breasted Red. 141 

" Brown Red 142 

" Duck-Wing 141 

" Oriental 14 2 

" Pyle 142 

Gapes 9 1 

Gastritis 92 

Geese 117 

"Going Light" 78 

Grain, when to feed 28 

" varieties as feed... 30 

Gravel, use of 15 

Gray Dorkings 140 

Gray or Toulouse Geese.. 119 
Green food. Essential to 

Health 63 

Guinea fowls 123 

Hamburgs, as layers 67 

description 143 

qualities of 144 

Silver Penciled. 143 
Gold Penciled. 144 
Gold and Sil- 
ver Spangled.144 
W h i t e and 

Black 144 

Hampers for Shipping. .. .107 

Harem .104 

Hatchers. See Incubators. 49 
Hatching, selection of eggs 40 
" period of incuba- 
tion 47 

assisting to hatch 48 



Page 

Hatching, artificial 49 

for exhibition . . 105 

Hawks 90 

Heating of house 16 

Houdans as layers 25, 67 

cross with Cochin 25 
as table fowls.. . 25 

description 145 

qualities 145 

House, location 9, 10 

" material 10-12 

" ventilation ..10, 16, 17 
" with double run 11, 22 

" construction 12 

" size 13 

" foundation I? 

" roof 13 

" (cut of) with run. 14 

" floor 14, 15 

" heating 16 

" movable 15 

" movable (cut) .... 66 

Incubation, period of 47 

Incubators, general remarks 49 

" description 50 

hot air (cut) . . 51 
running of ... 57 

Indigestion 92 

Inflammation of Egg Pass- 
age 92 

Interbreeding 103 

Javas 145 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



159 



Killing poultry for 



Page 

market 72 



Page 

Minorcas, qualities 149 

Muscovy Ducks 113 



La Fleche, description 145 

qualities 146 

Langshans for chick stock 25 

as layers 67 

description of. .146 

qualities of ... 146 

Laying, where fowls stop.. 24 

" pullets for 33 

best breeds ... .25, 67 

Leghorns, as layers 24, 67 

Black 147 

" qualities 148 

Brown 147 

Buff 148 

White 147 

" description of... 147 

Leg Weakness 93 

Lice 18, 89 

" head remedy for 60 

Light Brahmas 132 

Lime and grit 37 

Liver, Congestion of 83 

" wasting of 78 

Location of house 9 

Malays, description 148 

" qualities 149 

Manure, care and use of.. 38 

Marking 103 

Mice 89 

Minorcas, as layers 67 

description 149 



Nests 

Nests 



19 



(cut) keg 20 

" care of 38 

" fouling of 42 

" for setting 42 

Number of fowls in house 10 
" of hens to cock.40, 69 

Orpingtons 135 

Pasting up 93 

Pea-fowl 126 

Pekin or Cochin bantams.. 130 

Pekin ducks 114 

Perches. See Roosts 

Peritonitis 94 

Pigeons 124 

Pip 94 

Plucking of poultry 73 

Plumage, marking of 103 

Plymouth Rocks, for Chick 

stock 25 

Plymouth Rocks, as sitters.. 41 
" as layers.. 67 
" description^ 
" qualities .151 

Pneumonia 94 

Potatoes in feeding 32 

Poland or Polish fowls, 

desciiption 149 

" qualities .,.,,...150 



160 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



Page 
Poland, whit e-crested 

Black 150 

Poultry, reasons for keeping 6 
" for the market. 64, 69 

Poultry, fattening 70 

" killing 72 

" dressing 73 

" diseases 75 

Pratts Poultry Regulator — 

Where marketed 5 

Use in soft food 29 

Use for pullets 33 

Use for young chicks. .59, 63 

As an egg producer 66 

As a flesh producer 71 

For diseases 75 

Used before exhibitions. .106 

For turkeys 121 

Prices for breeding stock. . . 7 

Pullets, development 33 

" for breeding 68 

" resemblance 103 

Pyle game 142 

Rats, keeping out 16, 89 

Rearing of chicks 58 

" for exhibition 105 

Red Caps 151 

Rheumatism 95 

Rhode Island Reds 152 

Roof 14 

Roof chamber 17 

Roosts, size of 10 

" construction and care 18 



Page 

Rouen ducks 114 

Roup 95 

Run, double (cut, 22) 11 

" fouling 11 

" description 21 

Scaly Leg 96 

Sebright Bantams 130 

Selection for exhibition 101 

Setting, choice of breeds . . 41 

" when and how to 

set eggs 44 

" first test of eggs.. 46 

" water test 47 

Sex, predicting 40 

Shanghais. See Cochins.. 136 

Scratching Shed 12 

Shed, use and construction 12 
Shipping of eggs 68 

" of fowls 107 

Show Birds 106 

Show Cochins 136 

Silkies, description 152 

Silver-gray Dorkings 140 

Silver-spangled Hamburgh. 144 

Sitting hen, care of 41 

Skeleton of chicken 26 

Soft food, when to feed... 30 

how to make.. . 30 

Space required for poultry 8 

" for raising chicks... 25 

Spanish (Black) description 153 

" qualities .153 

Spanish (Red-faced). See 

Minorcas. 



PRATTS POULTRY POINTERS. 



161 



Page 

Spring birds, when essential 26 

Squab-raising 124 

Stock, selecting 23 

" for breeding 103 

Sultans i$2 

Swans 119 

Testing eggs 46 

Thieves 90 

Toulouse geese 119 

Trees and bushes in run . . 22 
Trussing and shaping poul- 
try 73 

Turkeys, raising 120 

" varieties 122 

Vegetable food 32 

Ventilation 10, 16, 17 

Vertigo 99 

Vices 98 



Page 

Water, for drinking 36 

" fountain (cut) 36 

" care of pans 36 

" for chicks 59, 64 

Water fowls 108 

Weasels, Minks, etc 90 

White Bantams 131 

White Call ducks 113 

White Cochins 137 

White Leghorns 147 

White Minorcas 150 

White or Embden Geese... 119 
White Plymouth Rocks . . . 152 

Wings, clipping 21 

Worms, Round 97 

Worms, Tape 97 

Wyandottes, description and 

varieties 154 

Wyandotte, Columbian .... 154 

Yard. See Runs. 



mar 21 ten 



To Poultry Keepers* 



Our policy for more than thirty-seven years 
has been to give the benefit of our knowledge 
and experience to poultry keepers the world 
over. This book, we feel confident, will furnish 
exactly the information required and greatly 
assist our friends in assuring to them more real 
profit and more real pleasure in poultry keeping 
than has ever before been attained. 

The book has been written in plain, 
language, so as to be easily understood by all. 
We have purposely omitted using technical and 
scientific terms which only serve to confuse. 



No matter whether you have half a dozen 
hens or six hundred, this book will prove a 
mine of valuable information. 



PRATTS POULTRY REGULATOR. 

(for 37 years called Pratts Poultry Food) 

Is a guaranteed Egg Producer. 

Increases the size of the fowls. 

Adds lustre to the plumage. 

Makes the comb and wattles a bright red. 

Makes the eggs fertile. 

Makes little chicks grow quickly. 

Prevents and cures common Poultry ailments. 

Makes Turkeys grow larger. 

Hastens the growth in Ducks. 

Is excellent for Pigeons. 

Should be used throughout the year. 

PRATTS LICE KILLER. 



(Powdered Form) 

Is a destroyer of all insects and mites on Poultry. No 
lice killer is equal to it for quick and sure results. 

No poultry man can succeed if his birds are infested 
with lice. 

PRATTS LIQUID LICE KILLER, 

is especially adapted for painting or spraying the roosts, nests, 
walls, etc. Very strong and always reliable. 

PRATTS HEAD LICE OINTMENT. 

(For Little Chicks) 
E) estroizs. th^ h pa A lice which kills thousands of little 

or scaly legs. 

One copy del. to Cat. Div. CURE. 

m* n 1911 



ird your birds against 
s use of Pratts Roup 



